If You Told Me To
by enchanted-nova
Summary: Naruto and Sakura have been friends for a long time now. They know each other like the back of their own hands, but the only thing they can't seem to figure out is that they are in love with each other. After Naruto finds a little erotic novel in Sakura's room it's all downhill from there. Minor pairings: InoxShika, SasuxHina
1. Chapter 1

**The Porn Book**

The room was neat and organized, but he never expected to see it in any other way. Her bed was always neatly made with not a single wrinkle in the sheets and the pillows were always fluffed. She would always draw the white lace curtains back to let in the natural light from the sun and her favorite book was always on the night stand. If she knew he was looking at her bed or so much as thinking about laying on it, she'd punch him half way to Suna. Of course, that would probably speed up the process, he had to leave for a mission there next week anyways. Ruffling up his blond hair, Naruto cautiously stepped through the door, he was never allowed in her room.

He was lucky enough to even get into her living room and kitchen. Naruto Uzumaki could already hear Sakura's voice inside his head. It made him shiver, but he was so tired and her bed just looked so comfortable. He could always sleep on her couch, but it wasn't that comfy at all, if anything it was like a rock with a cushion on it. Licking his lips, Naruto looked at the clock on her dresser. It was midday, which meant Sakura wouldn't be home for another five or six hours. He would be long gone by then, or well sitting in her kitchen eating all her food.

Tapping his chin, Naruto thought carefully about this. He remembered Sai telling him that Sakura just about threw him out the window for putting his feet up on her coffee table. Sakura was very weird about this kind of stuff, she always wanted everything to look perfect and pristine. She never had footprints on the wooden floors, her counters always seemed to sparkle, and her bathroom was so immaculate he could have eaten off the toilet...not that he would. Sighing, Naruto decided that just a one or two hour nap wouldn't hurt, he'd fix her bed up exactly the way it was.

He put his hand on the soft pink and black bedspread. It was so warm and welcoming, so he jumped up in the air and did a bellyflop right onto her bed. Not only was it clean and soft, it smelled like a meadow, it smelled just like her and he always loved how she smelled. Grabbing one of her pillows, Naruto hugged it tight under his head and was about to doze, but he felt something hard under the pillow. Moving his hand around, Naruto felt a square like object tucked into the pillow case. He sat up and shook the pillow until an old and worn out book fell out. His blue eyes studied it for a moment before his calloused hands picked it up. Looking over at the night stand, Naruto saw her book was there as well, which made his brows knit together.

Ruffling up his blond hair, Naruto shrugged and opened up the book. He flipped through the pages until he was somewhere in the middle and began to read the text on the page.

_ Kimi set her wine glass down on the table and looked at him. Her head was spinning from all the alcohol they had just drank. Even in her drunken stupor, she didn't care what he was saying at all, it didn't matter how serious he was. He was leaning against the doorjamb, body ridged and muscles bulging from his shirt sleeves. She crossed the room and stood before him, looking up at his rugged features. Tracing his lips and scruffy chin with her finger, Kimi threw caution to the wind and grabbed his..._

"WHOA!" Naruto screeched as he read the next word. "This is a dirty book! Sakura...no way!" he laughed and continued flipping through the book he'd found hidden away in her pillow case. Falling back onto Sakura's bed, Naruto chuckled and went back to the beginning, he was going to be having a lot of fun with this. He couldn't believe Sakura had a book like this, she had obviously been spending way to much time around Kakashi.

She was always against the whole perverted thing and, yet here she had her very own porn novel. Rolling onto his belly, Naruto looked at the cover of the book it was very worn out. A light bulb went off in the blond ninja's head, what if Sakura did things while reading this book. He could only laugh at the thought, Sakura was a sexy woman...he wouldn't deny that. Every since she had turned sixteen Sakura had grown into herself. Now they were both twenty-one years old and were successful people, she was one of the best medic ninja in Konoha and he was a Hokage in training.

He had every right to see her as just a woman. Sure she was Sakura Haruno, his pink haired friend, but that didn't mean he didn't notice her curvy figure, her fair skin, the smell of her strawberry scented hair, the glimmer of mischief in her green eyes, and the sound of her charming laugh. Naruto caught himself for a moment and rolled off of Sakura's bed, what the heck was he even thinking. Sakura was in love with Sasuke, even though Sasuke didn't seem to return those feelings, she was still head over heels for him. He didn't understand why Sakura was holding out for the charcoaled eyed boy, but he just let it be.

Sighing, Naruto looked at the book he was holding in his hand. A smirk came to his face, "this is too good, I can't pass this up." Plopping back down on the bed, Naruto began to read the book, Sakura would be pissed, but to call her out on having porn...he couldn't resist!

The front door came open and Naruto turned around when he heard Sakura's heels clicking on the wooden floor. He put a smile on his face and grabbed some glasses from the end table. Her pink hair swayed around her face and her green eyes glanced at him as she shut the door and took off her shoes.

"Hey, Naruto," she smiled warmly and furrowed her brows when she noticed he had on some glasses. "What's with the glasses?"

"Trying a new look," Naruto replied with a shrug as he walked over to her. Sakura nodded her head slowly and went into the kitchen to grab something to drink. "Why? Does it turn you on?" He slid into the kitchen and beamed at Sakura, who opened up her fridge and gave him a confused stare.

"What?" she asked with a stifled laugh before reaching into the fridge, pulling out a pitcher of iced tea. Grabbing a cup from the cupboard, Sakura poured herself a glass and took a small sip. She put the cup down and placed the pitcher back into the fridge. When she looked back at Naruto, he had taken off his orange and black blazer and was leaning up against the archway of her kitchen. Blinking a few times, Sakura grabbed her tea and sipped on it, keeping her eyes on him with confusion. "Are you okay? Did Sasuke hit you a little too hard while you were training yesterday?"

He was standing there with a smirk on his lips, arms crossed so his muscles seemed to be bulkier than normal in his black t-shirt, and his pants hung loosely at his hips in a slightly sexy manner. When he didn't answer her, Sakura walked around him and started heading for her bedroom.

"Hey, where are you going the vicegerent won't be back for hours," Naruto said, trying his hardest not to laugh. Sakura froze in her room and slowly turned to him as he walked into her living room and smiled at her. The pinkette raised a brow at him and walked back into the living room.

"Naruto," Sakura said his name softly a hint of worry coming onto her face. "Where did you learn that word?" She started fidgeting a bit with the hem of her nurses uniform.

"Where do you think..._Kimi,_" Naruto replied with a laugh and Sakura's jaw fell open. She covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head in disbelief.

"Naruto! You found my book!" Sakura screeched in terror. Naruto started cackling like a hyena and the pinkette buried her face in her hands. He was never going to let her live this down and she knew it. "What the hell were you doing in my room!" Sakura growled, stomping towards him.

"Whoa! Kimi...you seem a little tense, would it help if I took you roughly in the copy room?" Naruto asked and started laughing like crazy, causing Sakura's cheeks to turn bright red. She was flustered and slightly embarrassed.

"UGH! You know what, I don't care if you found my book," Sakura explained with a forced smile on her pink lips. Naruto could tell she was lying by that barely noticeable pout and the color of her cheeks. "There is nothing wrong with a girl wanting to read a little...erotica." She shrugged her shoulders and Naruto sputtered.

"Is that a fancy way to say you have porn?" Naruto asked and Sakura glared at him.

"It's just an expression of female sexuality! And it's totally healthy," Sakura clarified with all the dignity she could muster. Naruto only pressed his lips together in a firm line, so he could keep his chuckles on lock down. "And that, Naruto is something you...would never understand." She turned on her heels and wandered back into her room while Naruto remained in the living room, shaking his head.

"Expression of female sexuality? Sakura you've got porn!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air before wandering over to her room. He leaned against the doorjamb and stared at her as she was digging through her dresser for something to wear other than her nurse's uniform. "I'm not judging, I mean we all need to feel a little...naughty."

Sakura scowled and placed her hands on her hips as she looked over at Naruto, he was just having a field day with this. "Seriously, stop you're just jealous." Sakura grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms and a gray t-shirt before walking over to the bathroom.

"Jealous? Sakura you're getting your jollies off from a porn novel," Naruto explained as he watched her walk into the bathroom. She stood there glaring at him, if looks could kill Naruto would surely be dead by now. "Kakashi would be so proud," he joked and Sakura growled, grabbing her hair brush from off the counter of her sink and chunked it at him. Yelping, Naruto barely dodged it and stuck his tongue out as Sakura. Rolling her green eyes, Sakura slammed the bathroom door shut.

Going into the kitchen, Naruto grabbed a red coffee mug and saw there was still some coffee left in the pot. Smirking, he poured the leftover coffee into the cup and walked over to the couch. He sat down and waited patiently for Sakura to exit the bathroom. Just as he had gotten comfortable, the bathroom door opened and Sakura stepped out. She huffed and rolled her eyes when she saw him, sitting on her couch with a goofy grin on his face.

"Sakura do you smell that?" Naruto asked and sniffed the air, looking around. Sakura raised a brow at him in confusion. "I think it's smoke." Tilting her head, Sakura sniffed the air, but didn't smell anything at all.

"No, I think you're just imagining things," Sakura replied with a shrug as she went back into her room. Naruto grabbed the coffee cup and followed her.

"I'm serious, you don't smell it?" Naruto asked, holding the cup up to his mouth. Sakura walked over to him and sniffed the air again. "Is it a fire or something?" She looked out her window and only saw the dark streets of Konoha.

"I really don't smell anything," Sakura replied, now sounding a bit more concerned.

Taking this as his chance, Naruto looked down at Sakura, who was much shorter than him now. Before they were the same height, but now he was a whole head taller than her, he was also much broader than her. She was so petite and frail looking, but she packed a mean punch. Ignoring all those thoughts, Naruto smirked and said, "oh my mistake, it's just your burning loins!" he laughed and Sakura seethed, slapping him in the chest. He squeaked in pain and Sakura shoved past him.

"Seriously Naruto! Just stop, it's not funny anymore," Sakura hissed at him and Naruto could see she was being completely serious.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I'll stop," Naruto said and Sakura looked at him as he smiled and finished by saying, "how about to make it up to you I draw you a nice milk bath?"

Sakura scowled and threw her hands up into the air and glared at her blond-headed teammate. "You know, I didn't even like that part!" Sakura snapped and Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"I thought it was sexy and dirty," Naruto replied with a wink, making Sakura's head fall between her shoulders. She crossed her arms over her chest a moment later and looked at Naruto, completely annoyed with his jokes and innuendoes. In a way it was kind of shocking, she had no idea Naruto had this dirty side to him. "Seems like someone needs a little sexual attention." Naruto batted his lashes at her and Sakura shook her head in a disapproving manner.

"Don't you have somewhere to be other than my apartment?" Sakura inquired as she went into the kitchen to start preparing herself some dinner. Naruto turned on his heels and watched as she grabbed a wok and some cut up vegetables.

"Why would I wanna be anywhere, but here where we can make sweet love on the breakfast bar," Naruto joked, tapping on the granite counter top. Sakura let her head fall back and let out a loud huff. He was just pulling out all the stops with her book and she was about one more joke away from punching him straight through the wall. "Isn't it the sweet torment you've been searching for all your life?" Naruto questioned and Sakura slammed the wok down on the stove, she'd had enough of it.

"You know what Naruto, let's do it," Sakura said, twirling around and looking at him with a smirk on her face.

"Huh?" Naruto asked in shock with raised brows.

"Come on, I know you feel it too," Sakura breathed as she approached Naruto. The blue-eyed boy blinked several times, unsure of what to think or do. The way Sakura moved towards him and placed her hand on his chest, running her fingers down his abs, made him swallow hard. "I've been trying so hard to keep my distance, but I can't deny my desire for this body." She squeezed his flexed arm, which caused him to purse his lips.

"This body?" he muttered out in a squeaky voice and Sakura smiled seductively, gently trailing her fingers down his arm and into the palm of his hand. Naruto started to feel the sweat beading on his forehead and his mouth was going dry.

"Yeah, come on Naruto, let's do it, sex me up!" Sakura purred, leaning against him. Naruto stumbled back a bit and looked down at Sakura as she continued to approach him. Neither one was paying any attention where they were going and it was almost too late to stop. The blond bumped into the armrest of the couch and ended up falling over into the cushions and Sakura fell right on top of him.

"Sakura you're so forward," Naruto replied as she was laying on top of him. When he laughed she could feel the rumble in his chest. She groaned and buried her face in his chest, shaking her head in annoyance. She just couldn't win with him today and it was so annoying. There was no way she was going to let him win this, so with a smirk she lifted her head and stared into his eyes.

Her heart skipped a beat, his eyes were shimmering with this playful and cheerful glow. She had never noticed it until she was this close to him. Catching the scent of his cologne, Sakura let a breath escape her. The feel of his muscles beneath her, the look on his face, and his scent. All of the sudden, Naruto wasn't that goofy twelve year old, he was a handsome young man with a smile that was melting her heart. As she just stared at him with her green eyes, Naruto's smile slowly faded and he gave her a questioning look.

"Sakura? You okay?" he asked, tilting his head. Immediately, Sakura realized what she was thinking and started to blush, pushing off of Naruto quickly. When she stood up, she fixed her hair and t-shirt. Naruto laid there on the couch for a moment, staring at her and turned away as he sat up.

"Are you hungry?" Sakura asked after several moments of silence between the two. It was like sexual tension had filled the room and they could cut it with a knife. The blond boy looked at her with his cheesy, foxy grin and nodded his head. "I'll make something, but only if you promise to stop with the references from my book."

"Okay," Naruto replied and Sakura was about to thank him, but he interjected by saying, "Maybe we can melt some chocolate and eat it off each other." Grabbing one of the pillows, Sakura hit him upside the head with it and stormed into the kitchen. Naruto laughed and followed after her, swearing that was the last one of the night.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! So I've been in a Naruto and Sakura kind of mood lately, so that's exactly what this story is. So if you don't like them as a couple, it might be time for you to stop reading. Anyways, this will be a romance comedy story, so leave your feedback! See you in the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

**The Vacation**

Three weeks had come and gone since Naruto had found Sakura's erotic novel in her pillow case. She was completely mortified when Kakashi had come to the hospital with an injury and mentioned some inappropriate things. The silver haired masked man was merely poking fun, but she was still furious all the same. He laughed it off though and told her he was glad that he had made such an impression on her. Sakura simply smacked him with a clipboard and stormed out of the room, searching for Naruto. He had unfortunately gone away on a mission to Suna, but she just about ripped his head off about it when he returned a week and a half later.

The heat about her book had died down or so she thought. As she was making her way towards the Hokage Tower from the hospital, Captain Yamato called out to her. She stopped and greeted him with a small bow, she hadn't seen him in over a month. He greeted her back and the two began walking up the stairs with the same old, causal how have you been conversation. They laughed a bit and talked about the weather and about their careers. Sakura was slowly becoming the new Tsunade in the medical corp and Yamato was about to be head of the ANBU Black Ops. When they arrived at the top of the stairs, Yamato stopped walking and Sakura looked at him with a slight curiosity.

He hadn't changed much at all, he looked a little older, but his eyes were the same, his corny grin, and he still wore the same head piece. Yamato looked at her curiously and Sakura started to get a bit freaked out by it. She was about to say something, but he waved a finger at her and asked, "Do you know why Naruto has been talking about vicegerents and stable girls and librarians?" he asked and Sakura just wanted to fall down the stairs.

"Uh...nope, can't say that I do," she responded with a bit of nervous laughter and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Hmm, well it sounds like a bad porn novel that Kakashi would read is all," Yamato commented with a shrug and Sakura nodded slowly. "Guess with all the training they've been up to lately it would make sense." The ANBU Captain smiled at her and she smiled back weakly, if only Yamato knew Naruto got that from her own book. She had made the decision to burn it when she got home and maybe she would throw Naruto into it. The blond knucklehead was such a snoop, ever since he found that book he was constantly searching her apartment for more things.

He was certain she had porn videos and calendars of naked men, but she most certainly didn't. In all honesty, she only had that book because she was curious and that's all there was too it. Running her fingers through her hair, Sakura tried to stop thinking about it and followed Yamato straight to the Hokage's office. When they got to the door moments later, Yamato knocked and they patiently waited for Tsunade to allow them entry into her office.

"Enter!" Tsunade hollered from the other side of the door. Yamato opened the door and walked inside with Sakura filing right behind him. As the door closed, Tsunade looked up from the report she was reading and nodded approvingly to the two ninja before her. "Mission report?" Tsunade asked, looking to Yamato. He nodded his head and walked forth, pulling a scroll from one of his vest pockets. Handing the scroll to her, Tsunade thanked him and he bowed taking a step back to fall in line with Sakura.

"The mission was fairly simple and it went over very smoothly," Yamato explained to the busty blonde woman sitting at the desk. She looked at him and smiled, happy to hear such good results.

"Very good, and for a job well done, take the next two days off," Tsunade said to Yamato as she placed the scroll next to the other six she had piled on the corner of her desk. Yamato thanked the Hokage and bowed before disappearing into a puff of smoke. Sakura looked at the smoke as it disappeared and turned her attention back to the Hokage. Shizune wasn't in the room, nor was Ton-Ton, so Sakura assumed she was either running and errand or having lunch. "Sakura how many hours have you worked this week at the hospital?" Tsunade inquired, lacing her fingers together as she leaned forward on the desk.

"Uh about sixty, give or take," Sakura replied and Tsunade's amber eyes widened when she heard the number. "Why?" It was obvious that Sakura had been working very hard at the hospital, everyone could see she was tired...expect for Sakura herself.

"Just as I thought," Tsunade said simply and Sakura furrowed her brows. "You've become quite the medic ninja Sakura, you're my star pupil, but I think you need to give yourself a break."

"A break? Lady Tsunade I'm perfectly fine, besides we're under staffed I couldn't leave now," Sakura protested, but Tsunade held up a hand to silence the pinkette.

"Don't worry about that," Tsunade said to her as she opened up a drawer in her desk. The blonde woman pulled out a crisp white envelope and held it out to Sakura. Raising a brow, the pinkette came forth and took the envelope. As she opened it, she saw a little trifold inside of the new luxury hot spring that had been opened up about an hour outside of Konoha. "That is two tickets to the new hot springs they built just outside of Konoha, I want you to go for a three day weekend. That's an order."

Sakura's green eyes looked up from the trifold to the woman behind the desk smiling warmly. Laughing lightly, Sakura pulled out the two tickets and nodded her head in understanding. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade. Why two tickets though?" Sakura held the tickets up and gave Tsunade a curious look. The busty woman pressed her lips together in a firm line and looked down at her desk. "What's wrong?" Sakura asked, becoming a bit worried.

"Hey Granny, you're cutting into my training time!" Naruto shouted as he jumped in through the open window behind Tsunade. A light bulb went off in Sakura's head and she groaned, letting her head fall in between her shoulders. The blond boy noticed Sakura and greeted her with a wave and smile before looking back at Tsunade and saying, "I know I'm supposed to be a Hokage in training, but this paperwork stuff is boring and just blah!" Naruto exclaimed with a fake gag.

"Well then, you'll be glad I asked you here Naruto." Tsunade turned to the boy, he may have driven her crazy most of the time, but she really did love the kid. Despite of all his shenanigans and recklessness.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked with a raised brow, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Naruto, your going vacation," Tsunade replied and the spiky haired blond blinked. "With Sakura." She gestured to the pinkette, who finally lifted her gaze and looked at Naruto. He turned to her and she smiled softly, causing to smile back.

"This should be fun," Naruto said with a wink and Sakura rolled her eyes. "You can be the farmer's daughter, I'll be the librarian." Sakura groaned and clenched her fist, pulling it back she tried to punch Naruto, but he backflipped out of the way just in time. Over the years, Naruto had gotten good at reading Sakura's body language and facial expressions, he knew when she was about to throw a wicked punch his way.

"What's he talking about?" Tsunade asked curiously.

"Nothing!" Sakura snapped, her green eyes still fixated on Naruto as he laughed over by the entry door to the office. "Can't I take someone else? Like anybody else?" Sakura asked, looking back at Tsunade with pleading eyes.

"Nope, Naruto's good," Tsunade beamed and Sakura huffed, looking back at Naruto. "Have fun you two, see you on Monday."

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were going to be leaving for the hot springs first thing in the morning. She had just gotten off from the hospital and was on her way home. It was six o'clock in the evening and there was pleasant breeze in the air, despite the balmy June temperature. Even though she was going to be visiting a luxury hot spring with Naruto, she couldn't deny she was excited about it. An entire weekend of massages, getting her nails done, and relaxing in the springs, who wouldn't love that? A smile came onto her face at the thought of actually having her nails done, it had been so long since she got a chance to have those womanly pleasures.

"Hey Forehead!" Ino Yamanaka called out as Sakura was about to go around the corner. Stopping mid-step, Sakura turned around and saw the platinum blonde across the street holding a broom in her hand. She was standing outside of her families flower shop and had this sly look on her face. Her blue eyes were watching Sakura with a slight hint of mischief. "Naruto told me you and him were going on a little romantic vacation this weekend."

Sakura sighed, the rumors were definitely going to be flying by the time they returned. She could only imagine the things people would say, it was bad enough what they already said now. Naruto and Sakura were close, they practically grew up together and they had been teammates since they were genin, but that was all they were friends and teammates. People liked to talk though and while Sakura would admit Naruto had become attractive over the years, she wouldn't get with him just for that. He was nice and sweet and he really cared about her, but it was more of a brother and sister sort of thing, right? All of the sudden, Sakura started wondering why she was even seconding guessing herself. Naruto and her were friends, their relationship was strictly platonic.

"Well is it true?" Ino asked, eyeing her friend suspiciously. The pinkette walked across the street and placed her hands on her hips. "It is, isn't! You're so lucky!"

"What?" Sakura asked with a laugh. "Since when were you into Naruto."

"No! Not that, I mean Naruto's good looking, but I'm talking about the fact you get to go on some romantic getaway vacation, you're so lucky!" Ino explained herself, placing a hand on her hip and leaned against her broom. "You should totally have sex."

"Ino!" Sakura hissed, glaring at her friend. The blonde girl before her started giggling like a love-sick teenager. "What's up with you today?"

"Oh come on, Sakura, you're twenty-one have some hormones," Ino scolded, waving her finger at the pinkette, who started blushing fifty shades of red. Sakura knew she could sleep with just about any guy in the entire village, many of them had sought her out. It just wasn't her style though, sleeping with people just because, but there was one night that she got a little too drunk and something may or may not have happened between her and Sai. "Get yours." Ino nudged her friend with her elbow and Sakura scoffed.

Ino was the most sexual of all her friends, she was confident in herself and flirty. With just one look she could make a man stop in their tracks. Sakura was pretty in her own way, but Ino was one of those girls that had all the heads turning. It might have been the fact that Ino also exposed her tummy with her ninja gear, but she had changed it up a little. While her tummy was still exposed, Ino wore a purple halter top now with detached sleeves, black tight fitting shorts and a pair of leather knee high boots. Sakura on the other hand still remained more on the conservative side with a simple red top and black capri pants that were tucked into her leather boots.

"Ino, I'm not sleeping with Naruto," Sakura said simply with a shrug. "He's just my friend and we're only going on this thing because Lady Tsunade ordered us too."

"Maybe because she sees how much you two love each other," Ino joked, winking at her pink haired friend who snorted at the thought. They loved each other, but not in a romantic sense. Her mind ventured to the day they fell on the couch together, that feeling deep in her stomach. "Maybe I'll ask to go in your place instead," Ino thought out loud and Sakura glared at her friend.

"No way!" Sakura snapped and Ino chuckled.

"Oh...is that jealousy? I think so," Ino prodded, making Sakura turn away. "Maybe I'll just ask Naruto out on a little dinner date tonight."

"Don't you dare!" Sakura growled and quickly covered her mouth. She said that a little harsher than she had intended it to be. Ino stared at her friend with a surprised smile and started laughing, hugging her sides as she did. "Ugh, goodbye Ino!" Sakura barked as she started storming off.

"Wait, Sakura!" Ino shouted before Sakura got across the street. The pinkette sighed in frustration and turned around to look at the blonde standing at the edge of the sidewalk. "It's okay, you know, having feelings for a teammate." She shrugged her shoulders and gave her friend a reassuring smile.

"I don't have feelings for Naruto, Ino," Sakura replied simply and started walking on down the street. For some very strange reason when those words left her mouth, something just didn't feel right. There was a bad taste in her mouth and she felt like her body was rejecting the very words she had said. She'd known Naruto since they were six years old and for about half the time she had known him, she thought of him as a ridiculous, knucklehead, who never knew when to quit. Now, though, Naruto was this handsome hero of the shinobi world, who was always there for her.

Whenever a mission went wrong, Naruto was there to save her. Whenever she was upset or depressed, Naruto was there to cheer her up. Whenever she had any sort of self doubt, Naruto was there to tell her she could. Every step of the way, he was right there beside her. She bit her lip and wondered if maybe just maybe she actually did feel something for him. Something more than being just a friend. Sakura stopped walking and caught herself, what the heck was she even thinking. Naruto was just this goofy kid she grew up with and no matter how popular and strong he got, in her eyes he was still that troublemaker from the academy.

"What on earth is he doing to me?" Sakura asked herself silently as she continued to walk towards her apartment. All of the sudden, the line between friend and something more was beginning to blur. Huffing, Sakura shook the thoughts away and just tried to think of all the fun she would have on the vacation to the hot springs. "Just think about getting your hair and nails done, that's what this is all about."

She arrived at her apartment complex and started climbing up the stairs to the third floor. When she reached the top, she pulled her key out of her pocket and unlocked her front door. Kicking off her shoes, Sakura pushed them aside with her foot and dropped her bag down by the table next to her coat wrack. She walked through her foyer and entered the living room only to stop dead in her tracks when she saw Naruto lounging on her couch with his feet propped up on her coffee table.

"Feet on the floor or come over no more!" Sakura shouted, causing Naruto to spring up from her couch. He turned on his heels and looked over at the fuming pinkette. Rubbing the back of his neck, Naruto laughed nervously and told Sakura to calm down. "What are you doing in here?" Sakura asked in frustration, crossing her arms over her chest. She really should have been used to him dropping by, but then again he was just sitting on her couch, completely uninvited. She didn't really mind his company, she just hated how he'd come in and raid her fridge, sleep on her couch, find her books and torment her about them.

"Well I was about to have a nap, but someone had to rudely wake me up," Naruto replied with a laugh and Sakura looked completely annoyed by his words. Noticing this, Naruto stifled a laugh and put his hands behind his head. "Come on, Sakura, aren't you happy that we're going on a three day romantic get away to some luxury hot spring resort?" His blue eyes were shining with joy and he had on that cheesy grin of his, which made it hard for her to stay scowling at him. Shaking her head, the pinkette flicked a strand of hair from her face and walked into the kitchen to start making some dinner.

"Romantic? Really?" Sakura asked as she opened up her fridge and grabbed some vegetables and leftover chicken. She was going to prepare some stir fry for the evening. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Naruto standing in the entry way. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall, watching her with those dazzling blue eyes of his. "And I gave that key to you for emergency purposes only." She waved a wooden spoon at him and he chuckled a bit.

"It was an emergency," Naruto assured her. Sakura gave him a skeptical stare and Naruto pushed off the wall, walking over to her as she started to mix the vegetables and chicken together. "Seriously, I had no food, so I had to come here and I had no money to buy anything."

"Wasting all your money on ramen are we?" Sakura asked with a laugh as she turned on the stove.

"Quite possibly," Naruto replied sheepishly and Sakura snorted, typical Naruto to waste money on countless bowls of ramen at Ichiraku. "I know I can always count on you to take care of me though." He leaned against the counter top and gave her a lopsided grin. Sakura didn't know why, but she was actually happy to hear that he knew she'd take care of him. It went without saying though, he protected her on missions and she would make sure he always had food and no broken bones.

She bumped him away with her hip and placed the wok onto the stove. Naruto stepped aside and went back towards the couch, but stopped at the doorway and looked at Sakura. She was humming as she stirred the vegetables and chicken together. A small smile crept onto his face and he had this warm look in his eyes. The pinkette turned around to grab something and noticed his stare, which made her feel a little self conscious.

"What?" she asked shyly and Naruto licked his lips, shaking his head. "No, tell me."

"I was just thinking," Naruto replied with a shrug, but Sakura gave him a disbelieving stare. "I was thinking about how far we've come, that's all." It was a lie, but Sakura smiled and nodded her head before going back to cooking. He was really thinking about her and how much she had changed over the years. She was still beautiful, she always had been to him, but she was that and more now.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hi there, you amazing people, you! There are no words to express how grateful I am for all the comments on the first chapter like I was blown away. Thank you all so very much, I'm glad you all liked the chapter. I'm hoping you all will enjoy this chapter as well, I'm very excited for this story now especially with all of you supporting me on it. So once again, thank you all!

**P.S. **OKAY! WHO HEARD NARUTO'S SUPER DUPER CUTE TAILED BEAST & JINCHURIKI SONG?! AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT THAT WAS AWESOME!?


	3. Chapter 3

**The Bed**

The hot spring was so much better than the pictures on the trifold Tsunade had given Sakura. When she and Naruto arrived at noon, her mouth hung open and her green eyes gazed at the marvelous natural beauty surrounding the lovely pagoda with its dark tiled roof, vibrant red wood pillars, and the golden emblems decorating the building. It was simply beautiful and Sakura was so excited to get across the wooden bridge, so she could soak in one of the springs. Naruto was standing beside her in his usual orange and black blazer with his backpack hanging off his back. His blue eyes studied the area as well and he smiled, he knew they were going to have a real nice time.

Surrounding the hot springs pagoda was lush greenery and breathtaking waterscapes. It was so peaceful and calm and Naruto could already feel all his stress melting away. Placing his arm around Sakura's slender shoulders, he pulled her along to cross the bridge so they could enter the building and begin their three day vacation. As they crossed the bridge, Sakura stopped and pulled out of Naruto's hold going over to the red wood railings. She looked down at the water and could see straight to the bottom. A smile came to her face when she saw the colorful koi fish swimming around without a care in the world.

"This place is amazing," Sakura said, turning around to look at Naruto, who was still standing in the middle of the bridge. He smiled at her and walked over looking down at the school of fish, swimming in circles around each other. "Come on, let's see what the inside looks like." She pushed away from the railing and skipped down the rest of the way to the end of the bridge. Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets and followed along after her with a very faint smile on his lips. He thought it was cute how excited she was over the place and they hadn't even made it inside yet.

She was right though, the place was amazing. The river, the tall trees, the carefully planted flower beds, the torch lights, and just the look of the building itself. Naruto was sure that the inside was just as stunning and the hot springs were probably perfect for a tired ninja. When he reached the end of the bridge he looked at the front porch of the pagoda, which was attached to two smaller ones on either side. Hanging on a small chain above his head was a sign with directions. One had an arrow pointing left that read spa and salon, while another arrow pointed to the right saying gardens and temple. On the large sliding door before them written in black ink were the words 'lobby'. Sakura was already walking in and he followed right behind her.

Just as expected the main lobby was very clean with shiny wood floors, expensive looking victorian like furniture, and brilliant orchid flower arrangements on mahogany pedestals that were located in alcoves with lovely silk cream colored curtains pulled back by golden ropes. Sakura was already up at the front desk, speaking with a middle aged woman about their rooms. As Naruto was looking around, he started to think that it was weird to be in such a luxurious place with Sakura Haruno. They weren't on a mission, they were just there to be there and it made him a little nervous.

After being friends for some many years, Naruto assumed he'd learn how to be around the pinkette up at the front desk. The unfortunate part was, he really didn't know how to. Sure they'd talked about everyday things, they hung out together with their friends, they went on missions together, but now it was just them, no distractions. In a way, Naruto was happy about that, but he couldn't shake his nervousness. The clamminess of his palms, the fast paced beating of his heart, the stutter in his voice, and his labored breathing. It was just odd to him, he shouldn't be that nervous around Sakura...it's Sakura, the girl he's known and had a crush on for the past fifteen years of his life.

"Hey we're sharing a room," Sakura called out to Naruto, looking over her shoulder as she leaned on the desk. The blond looked at her and didn't think that was a problem, but he remembered that even when they were on missions, never did she ever share a room with him or Sai or Yamato or Kakashi or Sasuke, for that matter. "Unfortunately, Tsunade only booked one room."

"Well that's not a problem for me, I practically live on your couch," Naruto replied with a shrug and chuckle as he walked over. Sakura shook her head and looked back to the woman, telling her to go ahead with it. They'd been friends for a long time, sharing a room wouldn't be a big deal.

"I'll show you two to your room," the woman said, grabbing a set of keys from her desk. "Right this way please." She waved for them to follow her around the desk and straight back down a hallway that led to another sliding door. When they stepped out, they were met by the sounds of chirping birds and the calming splashes of water from a little stone waterfall in the garden area.

They crossed over a wooden pathway leading to another building. Opening the doors, the woman took a right upon entering and took them to the very end of the hallway. She stood in front of the very last door and unlocked the door and pushed it open. As she walked inside, Sakura followed behind her and gaped at the room. Naruto walked in next and his eyes widened in surprise, Tsunade really was treating them.

"Hopefully everything is to your liking, we have twenty-four hour service, so if you need anything feel free to ask. Enjoy your stay," the woman said, bowing slightly as she handed the keys to Naruto.

"Thank you very much, ma'am," Sakura replied with a happy smile just as the woman left the room and the door closed quietly behind her. Walking into the living area, Sakura dropped her bag onto the ground and spun on her heels to look at Naruto. "I gotta hand it to Lady Tsunade, she's really giving us quite the treat." Sakura walked over to the black leather couch and plopped down onto it, letting out a breath of relief, stretching her arms up above her head. Naruto walked further into the room and dropped his bag down beside Sakura's and placed the key on the glass coffee table.

The walls of the room were a warm coffee brown color and just across from him was a wall of shoji paneling. To his left was a small hallway that had a door on either side. To the right of him was a small little kitchen with a fridge, oven, and stove. Everything was new and shined like so. Naruto walked down the little hallway and pushed the door on his left open. It was the bathroom, fairly large with a nice soaking tub and a round window that viewed the garden outside. The sink was on a large slab of black sparkling granite with a copper colored vessel sink. Stepping out of the bathroom, Naruto turned around and pushed the other door open.

"Wow, hey Sakura come check out the bedroom!" Naruto called out to her.

The bed was huge with a nice maple canopy holding up sheer silk that draped over the bed. Walking towards the bed, Naruto pressed his hand down onto the mattress and nodded. It was so soft and all he wanted to do was bellyflop right onto it. The door came open and he turned around to see Sakura gazing around the room. Just like in the living room area, the wall opposite of the entrance was made of shoji paneling. The room had a very dim lighting, mostly being all natural. The bedspread of the king sized bed was white and red with four large fluffy pillows.

"This is beautiful," Sakura commented as she walked over to a maple dresser that was decorated with a lovely bouquet of purple orchids. She smiled and looked over at Naruto who pulled a coin out of his back pocket and came over to her. "What's that for?"

"I know you, you'll want to sleep in separate areas," Naruto explained and she quickly caught onto what he was suggesting. "Now, normally I'd just take the couch, but that bed is way to soft to pass up without a fight, so we'll flip for it."

"Okay, that's fair," Sakura replied with a nod and watched as Naruto placed the coin onto his thumb.

"Heads I win," Naruto paused for a moment and looked into her shining green eyes, "tails you lose."

"Okay, go," Sakura nodded and Naruto was a bit surprised she didn't catch onto what he said. Wanting to see how long it would take her to figure it out, he flipped the coin and caught it in his palm, flipping it over onto the back of his other hand. "Oh man! It's heads," Sakura grumbled.

"Hey, fair is fair," Naruto reminded her with a wave of his finger, not feeling guilty in the slightest. Sakura was a smart girl, she would catch on eventually. Sighing in defeat, Sakura waved the matter off and walked back out into the living room with Naruto trailing behind her. "So what should we do first?" he asked, putting his hands behind his head as Sakura looked around in the small kitchen area.

"Lunch, spa, and maybe walk around the garden?" Sakura tried, smiling up at Naruto who was now standing beside her as she was ducking into the fridge to see if anything was inside.

"Let's go," Naruto said, nodding towards the door.

* * *

Sakura sighed softly as she sat down on the couch and laid back on the soft cushions. Pulling her legs up onto the couch, she stretched them out and reached for her cup of tea on the little coffee table. The first day at the hot spring was amazing, she got herself a hot stone massage, she had an amazing lunch, and then she and Naruto walked around the gardens for a couple of hours. The sun was setting now and she could see the shadows of the trees outside the shoji paneling. Taking a small sip of her tea, Sakura let out a refreshed breath and put the cup back down.

Sakura really wanted to be on the bed instead, but Naruto had won it fair and square. They had flipped for it. She could hear Naruto in the bedroom, he was changing into his sleepwear for the night. Running her fingers through her damp hair, Sakura sighed softly and thought about how awesome it would be to lay in the huge bed.

_"Heads I win," Naruto paused for a moment and looked into her shining green eyes, "tails you lose."_

Sakura shot up, he had cheated her! Getting off the couch, Sakura barged right on into the room. Naruto turned to look at her, wearing only his blue striped boxers with a towel thrown onto his wet blond hair. Her cheeks turned red and she stared down at the wooden floor. The blond boy wasn't the same boy she remembered. She'd seen him many times before without a shirt, but he was bulkier than she remembered. His arms, his chest, and his six pack; Sakura was impressed. She couldn't believe she was thinking it, but Naruto had become quite sexy since he was a teenager.

"Something wrong, Sakura?" Naruto asked nonchalantly as he continued to get dressed. Swallowing hard, Sakura looked back to Naruto as he pulled on his pajama bottoms. Her eyes couldn't stay off his flexing arms and they were still a bit damp from his shower. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Naruto inquired with a light-hearted laugh. Her face went red and Naruto raised a brow at her as she started twirling her hair around her finger. For some reason, she had suddenly forgotten why she'd barged in.

Naruto's hotness had pretty much slapped her in the face, making her forget why she was mad just moments ago. Licking her lips, Sakura's green eyes traveled over his chiseled six pack, up the smooth plains of his chest, over his broad shoulders, and to his handsome whiskered face. Her heart was pounding and she could feel her mouth going bone dry, never did she ever expect to have this sort of reaction to Naruto. It was Naruto for crying out loud! The number one unpredictable knucklehead ninja of the Leaf Village. And in that very moment he had Sakura all tongue tied and flustered. The sad part was, he didn't even have to try.

Naruto sat down on the edge of the bed and hung the towel over his shoulder. Sakura shook her head and suddenly remembered she come in because of the whole bed issue. "Heads you win, tails I lose!" Sakura snapped at him and Naruto started laughing, shrugging his shoulders.

"You finally caught on, did ya?" Naruto asked through his laughs.

Sakura glared at Naruto and placed her hands on her hips. "Cheaters forfeit!" Sakura clamored, pointing an accusing finger at the blond boy. He laughed a bit and met her eyes, his soft smile and luminous blue eyes made her anger dissipate. She looked away from him and shook her head, she had no idea why she was having these feelings. On some level she blamed Ino and Tsunade. Ino for telling her that it was okay to have feelings for a teammate and Tsunade for sending her to a romantic hot spring resort with him. Not to mention there was only one room with one bed.

"I wasn't going to let you sleep on the couch," Naruto announced, snapping Sakura from her thoughts. She tilted her head and looked a him curiously. He shrugged his shoulders and stood up, approaching her. She looked up into his eyes and he winked at her. "I would have moved you to the bed, I'm not that guy." He placed a hand on her shoulder and moved past her. Where his hand had touched left a warm feeling that sent tingles throughout her body. Sakura turned on her heels and looked back at him as he hung his towel up in the bathroom and went into the living room.

"You would have given me the bed really?" Sakura asked, walking out behind him. Naruto plopped down on the couch and looked up at her.

"Of course," Naruto replied with a nod. "Aside from the fact you fell for my little trick, I wouldn't make you sleep on the couch. Don't you remember when you were having repairs done on your apartment and you stayed with me, I let you have my bed and I slept on the couch."

"Oh yeah," Sakura remembered and walked around to sit next to him on the couch. He looked at her for a moment and slowly shifted his gaze to the shadows on the shoji paneling. "You know something, Naruto?" Sakura questioned, leaning against him. He looked at her and put his arm on the back of the couch, so that she was pressed against his ribs and chest.

"What?" Naruto asked softly, glancing at her. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he loved how Sakura felt against his body. She was so petite and seemed so fragile, but Naruto knew better. Sakura wasn't fragile, in fact, she was one of the strongest girls he'd ever met.

"You grew up nice," Sakura stated and Naruto furrowed his brows in confusion. He looked at the girl and stiffened a bit when she rested her head on his chest. Not once had Sakura ever been like this towards him, normally she kept a little space between them. The blond wasn't even sure what to make of all of it. "I mean, I never would have expected you to become everything you are today." She shifted a bit and lifted her head to look up at him.

He stared straight ahead at the painting of the bamboo on the wall and licked his lips. Glancing at Sakura, he smirked a bit and she rested her head back on his chest. "What brought this on?" Naruto asked to keep the conversation going.

"You've grown is all, I just noticed it," Sakura explained herself, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I mean before you were just an annoying knucklehead, but now...your just a knucklehead."

"Gee, thanks," Naruto mumbled, rolling his eyes. He felt Sakura shaking a bit, because she was fighting to hold in her eruption of laughter. Seeing this as the perfect time to take her mind off of everything, Naruto moved swiftly and began tickling the girl. She yelped and laughed, trying her hardest to crawl away, but Naruto pulled her back. Begging him to stop, Sakura tried to roll off the couch, but Naruto fell with her.

When they landed on the floor, Sakura looked straight up at Naruto. His blue eyes were boring into hers and she could feel the butterflies in her stomach. She felt his warm breath against her cheek as he laid on top of her. Sakura gently placed her hands on his chest as if to put a barrier between them, but when she felt his muscles tense beneath her touch, she moved her hands away. A blush came to Naruto's face and he rolled off to the side of her. Sakura swallowed hard and remained on the floor, but turned her head to look at the blond boy...no, he wasn't a boy anymore, he was a man now.

Running his fingers through his hair, Naruto tried to pull himself together. Sakura was just his friend...who he had a big crush on, but she didn't feel the same for him. And because of that, Naruto had tried to suppress his feelings. For a while that had worked, but right there in that moment when he was on top of her, their faces mere inches apart, it all came screaming back to him.

"I'm going to go sit outside," Naruto announced suddenly and stood up. Sakura watched as he walked to the shoji door and slid it open. Once he stepped out, he slid it closed and she watched his shadow disappear from the wall.

The pinkette sighed softly and ran her fingers through her hair. She had no idea what had just happened, they were having fun and the moment it seemed intimate, they turned away. Maybe it was for the best though, they had been friends for so long that being intimate was probably the wrong move. The last thing she wanted was for her friendship with Naruto to be ruined. While she didn't tell him often...or at all, really...Sakura couldn't imagine her life without Naruto. Life without him would just be black and white, but she liked having him in it because it was more like shades of gray.

Getting to her feet, Sakura fixed her baggy t-shirt and walked over to the door Naruto had gone through. Her hand hovered above it for a few moments before she just swallowed everything she was feeling. As the door came open, Sakura stepped out and saw that the garden had a mythical silver glow from the moon. She stepped onto the wooden porch and closed the door behind her quietly. Making her way over to the steps to get off the porch, Sakura walked into the lush green grass barefooted.

Standing over by the small babbling waterfall in the corner of the garden was Naruto. She took in a deep breath and cautiously approached him. "Is everything okay?" she asked as she came to his side.

"Yeah," Naruto answered, his eyes remaining locked on the crystal waters that reflected the moon.

"We spent many nights together under skies like this," Sakura reminisced as she looked up at the dark sky that was completely cloudless and held the silver moon with a few scattered star clusters. "You, me, Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei." She looked back at Naruto and smiled warmly.

"You used to scoot closer to Sasuke when he fell asleep," Naruto pointed out and the pinkette bit her lip, feeling a bit embarrassed about that. "You were head over heels in love with him." The blond shook his head and stifled a laugh as he remembered the countless times Sakura would try to gain Sasuke's attention or approval.

"I was just a silly girl back then," Sakura defended herself and Naruto turned to look down at her. She was staring at the water now, her hands clasped behind her back. "I know better now."

"What does that mean?" Naruto inquired with a raised brow.

"I will always love Sasuke, but not in a romantic way." She shrugged her shoulders and slowly turned to look at Naruto, her pink hair falling into her face. Naruto reached for the locks that had fallen and gently tucked them behind her ear. "I just don't want a good love to go to waste."

"Sakura, whoever you end up loving," Naruto paused for a moment and gave her a smile, "he will be very lucky."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello my amazing readers, I can not thank you all enough for the wonderful comments on the last chapter. I truly appreciate your feedback, it makes me so happy. This chapter was definitely more romantic and fluffy, so hopefully that was enjoyable and I'm feeling some fun laughs in the next chapter. Also a couple of you mentioned the whole Sakura and Sai thing, yes they did in fact sleep together, but don't worry it's all part of my plan. I'll see you all in the next chapter, please leave a comment.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Moves**

Sakura was reading a magazine while a lady was painting her toes. Since it was going to be their last night at the hot springs, Naruto and Sakura decided to dress up all nice and have a nice dinner together. She wasn't sure why she agreed to it, but it did sound like fun to get all dressed up and eat up on the top floor of the hot springs. The workers had described it as elegant and only black tie. She had never done anything so fanciful, but she planned on relishing in the moment that night. Even a few of the others guest had whispered about the dance floor, the fine wines, and delicious food. Just thinking about it made her all excited, but it could also be because she was going to be in a beautiful gown.

_ Early in the morning while her and Naruto were having breakfast a mail courier had come to their room and delivered two snow white boxes tied with beautiful pastel pink ribbons. On one of the boxes was a cream colored envelope, which Sakura looked at first. She put the two boxes down and opened up the envelope. Naruto walked over to her and started reading over her shoulder._

**_Sakura & Naruto,_**

**_ Inside the two boxes are a gift for each of you, we hope you like them. Have a great time tonight and we'll see you when you get back. Also you better take pictures to show that you wore our awesome gifts._**

**_ Ino and Tsunade_**

_ Sakura shook her head and looked at Naruto, who seemed a bit confused. They hadn't mentioned they were going to be doing anything special. Putting the envelope and card down onto the table, Sakura removed the ribbons from the boxes. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw a pair of beautiful silver sparkling peep toe high heels. Granted she wasn't one to wear high heels, but those heels were gorgeous. Beneath the heels was a paper wrapped item, which Sakura pulled from the box. As she ripped the paper away, her jaw dropped._

_ "Wow," Naruto gaped at the dress that Sakura held out in front of her. "That's mighty nice of them to send you shoes and a dress." The pinkette nodded in agreement, looking the dress over. It reminded her of the sunset with it's metallic orange fabric with a sheer pink fabric going over the skirt. It was a spaghetti strap dress that was decorated in rhinestones, the bodice of the dress was made of lace that was covered in glitter and more rhinestones with a beautiful diamond piece that cinched in at her ribs._

_ "This is gorgeous," Sakura said as she walked to the bedroom to stand in front of the full length mirror, to get an idea of what she would look like. As the pinkette was admiring herself, she saw Naruto through the mirror leaning against the door jamb. A smile came to her face and she turned around to look at him. "Is it me?" she asked him._

_ "You'll be the prettiest girl in the room," Naruto replied and she blushed a bit at his compliment. "Then again your the prettiest girl in most rooms."_

_ "Oh stop," Sakura chuckled, waving him off. "Go see what they sent you."_

_ Naruto nodded and left the room to see what Tsunade and Ino had sent him. Opening up the box, Naruto stifled a laugh and shook his head. He was almost certain now Tsunade had sent them on this romantic weekend away on purpose. She was plotting something that little minx. It was a black button down shirt with a silk orange tie and black pants. They'd even sent him a pair of nicely polish black shoes._

_ "What a set-up," Naruto muttered under his breath, but for some reason he wasn't upset about it at all. Tsunade was really giving him the push he had been needing to ask Sakura out on a real date._

_ "Aw they want us to match," Sakura giggled when she saw the orange tie up against the black button down. "We're going to look awesome." She winked at him and Naruto laughed lightly, nodding his head in agreement._

"Alright, all done," the woman who was painting her toes said, causing Sakura to snap out of her reverie. Lifting her foot, Sakura smiled and praised the woman for a job well done. The woman had painted them white with orange tips, that way it would match her lovely dress for the evening. "Let's get your fingers done and we'll send you to hair and make-up."

"Excellent," Sakura said as she got out of her chair and followed the woman over to a table.

"Is tonight special?" the woman asked as she had Sakura soak her hands in some sort of blue tinted solution.

"Not really," Sakura explained as the woman started to work on Sakura's cuticles. "We're just friends is all."

"Friends?" the woman repeated in surprise. Sakura bit her lip and looked away slightly embarrassed. Although, she wasn't sure why she felt that way. "I don't mean to embarrass you, but the way that boy looked at you when he dropped you off...he seemed very much in love with you." The woman smiled at Sakura.

She didn't know what to say to that, she had noticed Naruto was acting a bit differently since they arrived. He was being so sweet and chivalrous, which wasn't really out of the ordinary for him, but he had this glow in his eyes. It was like he was really happy and proud to be standing next to her. Maybe it was love or maybe it was something else, either way she knew that she and Naruto were only friends. "We're just friends, we've been friends for a long time now," Sakura explained and the woman tilted her head slightly.

"Well if it isn't to bold to say," the woman paused and looked into Sakura's eyes, "I believe you two make a lovely looking couple." She started to file Sakura's nails and the pinkette smiled warmly. The truth was Sakura never saw herself as a beautiful girl, she thought she was average. Beautiful girls were girls like Ino and even Hinata, but Sakura felt she was just average, above average at best.

Naruto on the other hand had become one of the most attractive young men in the village. When she saw him last night, she realized it. Naruto wasn't a kid anymore, he was a handsome young shinobi with a heart of gold. Sakura smiled a bit at the thought of Naruto laying on top of her last night. He looked nervous and for some reason, she wished that he wouldn't have pulled away from her. Biting her lip, Sakura shook those thoughts away, there was no point in thinking about it. They were friends and it wouldn't happen, it would be better that they just enjoy the night. When they would return to the village everything would go back to normal, he would be that annoying guy that raided her fridge and she would be the girl next door, who worked long hours at the hospital.

That was just the way life was.

* * *

Naruto didn't know why he was so nervous, it was just a dinner, nothing special. Now they were all dressed up and it was going to be this beautiful place with a dance floor and starlight. He was pacing in the lobby, he couldn't seem to stop fidgeting. Sakura was putting her dress on in their room and would be emerging from around the corner at any given moment. His blue eyes looked at the table near the fancy furniture of the lobby. Early in the day, Naruto had bought her a bouquet of red and orange calla lilies, he happened to know they were her favorite. Swallowing hard, Naruto sat down on the couch and drummed his fingers on the armrest. His heart was going so fast, he thought it would explode right out of his chest.

It was odd to him that Sakura was having this much of an effect on him the past few days. Maybe it was because they hardly saw each other now, or maybe it was because she wasn't in love with Sasuke. All he really knew was that his feelings from their academy days and genin days were coming on strong. Naruto adjusted his tie and stood up again, pacing a hole into the ground. It was exactly seven o'clock, which was when they were supposed to meet. Swallowing hard, Naruto told himself to calm down and keep it together. It was easier said than done, of course.

"Naruto," her voice came.

He slowly turned around and felt his heart skip a beat. She stood there across the lobby in her knee length gown and silver heels, looking like a true beauty. Her pink hair was in loose beach-y like curls that fell over her slender shoulders. Sakura was never one for make-up, but today she was wearing natural colors that enhanced her features. The way her lashes framed her sparkling green eyes was so seductive to him. Her lips looked like candy in the bright pop of pink they were colored with. When she smiled at him, Naruto lost his breath for a moment.

"How do I look?" she asked, seeming so shy as she stood there. Naruto beamed at her and shook his head, grabbing the flowers from the table. Her eyes lit up as he approached her with the flowers and held them out to her. "Lilies, Naruto they're my favorite." She took the flowers and brought them to her nose, smelling the sweet nectarine like scent.

"You look breathtaking," Naruto said to her, making her blush.

"Thank you," Sakura replied with a smile. "You don't look too bad yourself, sparky." Naruto laughed lightly and held his hand out to her. Gingerly, Sakura put her hand in his and he smoothly put her hand at the bend of his elbow and lead her to the elevators that would take them to the top floor where the restaurant was.

* * *

Dinner was amazing. The whole ambiance of the restaurant on the top floor was wonderful. The lighting was dim and romantic, the tables were draped in red cloths, the chairs were comfortable, and the flower centerpieces were very charming. Hanging from the high ceiling were empty wine bottles that had been turned into lights, which gave a rustic feel to the room. It was unlike anything Naruto and Sakura had ever experienced and they were enjoying every minute of it.

They were seated by the window, which had a perfect view of the colorful garden down below along with the starry night sky. It was so romantic and Sakura couldn't think of a better way to spend her night. They both had laughed so hard they were crying, they had a little too much wine, and Naruto probably over ate, but he didn't seem to care at all. Across the way from where Naruto and Sakura were seated was a small rectangular stage with a band playing soft melodies. In the middle of the stage and where Naruto and Sakura sat was a large wooden dance floor with glittering chandeliers hanging high above.

Naruto could see Sakura's eyes on the few couples already out on the dance floor. She was smiling as she watched them, swaying ever so slightly in her chair. Pushing his chair back, Naruto stood up and walked around to Sakura's side. She looked at him as he stood in front of her, his hand outstretched towards her. His blue eyes looking at her with pure excitement and Sakura hesitated for a moment.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked, staring at his hand then up to his face.

"May I have this dance?" Naruto smiled down at her and she stifled a laugh. Taking in a deep breath, Sakura placed her hand in his and Naruto helped her up to her feet.

When they got to the dance floor, Naruto placed his hands on her hips and Sakura rested her hands behind his neck. They swayed to the slow playing song and Sakura didn't know what came over her, but she laid her head on his chest. Naruto felt like the luckiest guy in the world and held her close to him. He spun her out and then gently spun her back into him, which made her laugh lightly. Her green eyes sparkled as he stared down at her and placed his hand on the small of her back, slowly dipping her.

"Now where did you learn these moves?" Sakura asked as he pulled her back up and they continued spinning across the dance floor.

"Just something I picked up," Naruto replied with a shrug and Sakura eyed him curiously. "Seriously." He winked at her and Sakura started laughing, wrapping her arms around his shoulders once again. This was the best night of her life, she was having so much fun. The dancing, the restaurant, the music, and the way Naruto held her against him. It was like a dream, one she never wanted to wake up from.

"I would have figured you to have two left feet," Sakura joked and Naruto chuckled softly. "You're actually very suave, even at the table."

"I was working my magic, using all my moves on a date," Naruto replied and Sakura laughed, shaking her head.

"You have moves?" Sakura asked as Naruto twirled her around and pulled her back in.

"You're still here, right? So I must be doing something right," he whispered into her ear, his hot breath against her neck, made her shiver. When he straightened up, Sakura looked at Naruto and for some reason couldn't get herself to stop smiling like a idiot.

The song finally ended and the two stepped away to clap for the performers up on stage. Sakura decided it was time for some dessert, so she pulled Naruto back to their table.

"Okay, so tell me, what are your moves on a date," Sakura said, leaning forward on the table. She knew Naruto had been on many dates since he became the hero of the ninja world, but to her knowledge they were just one or two dates, never anything permanent.

"Well," Naruto paused and thought about it for a moment before continuing with, "I like to ditch those dating rules."

"Dating rules?" Sakura repeated with a light hearted laugh and Naruto nodded his head. "How do you do that?" she asked with a tilt of her head. He stared at her for a moment and gave in, telling her to stand up. As Sakura stood up, Naruto stood about a step away from her.

"So after I walk the girl home and take her back to her place, I ask if she follows the rules."

"Wait, you mean sex?" Sakura gaped at him and shook her head in disbelief.

"Yeah, but listen," Naruto held up a finger and Sakura watched him curiously, "Normally they always say yes, so I do this." Naruto took hold of Sakura's hand and gently pulled her into him, so that she was leaning against his muscular body. She sucked in a sharp breath and felt her cheeks burning red. He was inches from her face, their noses gently touching, "what's wrong?" he asked.

"You caught me off guard," Sakura answered in a soft voice, looking up at him through her curly lashes. "This seems kind of fast." She laughed lightly and Naruto smiled at the way she squirmed.

"You're totally right," Naruto said and Sakura looked at him in surprise.

"What? Seriously?" she asked.

"Seriously, we should go out again sometime." He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently. Sakura was soon forgetting that he was just showing her what he did on dates. When his lips touched the back of her hand she just wanted to melt into a little puddle on the floor. "And then I leave."

"Yeah that would work," Sakura replied with a laugh, trying to push away her nervousness. Her heart was racing and she prayed Naruto couldn't see the flush on her cheeks. "Very smooth and sexy."

"You thought it was sexy?" Naruto asked with a laugh as they both sat back down. Sakura instantly regretted her choice of words, but caved and said that it was the best way she could have pictured a first date to end. "Alright, that's one of my moves, show me one of yours." He waited patiently and the pinkette pursed her lips.

"Okay, just go along with it," Sakura said and Naruto nodded. "So what were you like in school?"

"Before I go along with this," Naruto interjected, causing Sakura to scowl and roll her eyes, "I would just like to say it's a good thing your hot." He laughed lightly and Sakura slapped a hand to her forehead.

"Just answer the question!" she barked at him.

"I guess you could say I was a bit of a troublemaker, always giving my teachers and classmates a headache," Naruto replied truthfully, looking at Sakura as he spoke. She tilted her head ever so slightly and seemed very intrigued by his words.

"Did you have any close friends?" Sakura inquired with a soft smile, slowly placing her hand down on Naruto's, rubbing it ever so slightly.

"Well not really," Naruto mumbled and Sakura frowned, continuing to rub the top of his hand in a soothing matter.

"Oh? Why not?" she asked, sounding genuinely interested in hearing his story.

"Well I guess it's because people thought that I-Holy crap!" Naruto stopped himself and looked at Sakura in total surprise. She started laughing and removed her hand from his, leaning back in her chair, winking at him. "Wow, what were you like in school, so simple." He shook his head and gazed at Sakura, throughly impressed by such a simple move to make him open up completely.

"Dessert for the lovely couple," their waitress said with a kind smile as she placed a plate down on the table. Naruto and Sakura thanked the woman and she nodded before leaving the two of them.

The cake looked so delicious. It was round in shape and had several layers consisting of cake then chocolate butter cream with another slice of cake, then butter cream, cake, and butter cream, one final slice of cake and then butter cream that was shaped in swirl like forms with a cherry on top. Sakura looked at Naruto as he eyed the cake, drooling over it ever so slightly. Sticking her finger into the butter cream at the top, Sakura leaned over and wiped it onto Naruto's nose.

"I knew you were going to do that, I was just hoping I was wrong," Naruto sighed as Sakura laughed across the way, her arms wrapped around her she was laughing so hard. "Here you should try some." Naruto got some onto the tips of his fingers and held his hand out to Sakura. She scooted back and shook her head still laughing at him. He pulled his hand back and just as Sakura went to grab her eating utensil, Naruto leaned over the table and got her cheek.

"Naruto!" she yelped, feeling the gooey cream on her face.

"It's a good look for you," Naruto joked.

* * *

"Naruto," Sakura said as she walked out of the bathroom after having showered. She found him lounging on the couch flipping through a magazine. He tilted his head back and looked at her as she walked around and sat down on the small coffee table. "I had a great time tonight." She smiled at him.

"Yeah, me too," Naruto admitted with a nod as he sat up on the couch, looking at her.

"About the whole...sex thing," Sakura began and Naruto tilted his head in interest and maybe a little worry and nervousness. "Have you...done it?" she inquired and Naruto laughed lightly, looking down at the ground for a few moments.

"Truthfully," Naruto said, looking up at her. "No."

"What!" Sakura squeaked in surprise. "You're a virgin?"

"Why are you so surprised?" Naruto asked with a raised brow, laughing a bit as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Do I come off as some sort of man-whore or something?"

"It's just..." Sakura trailed off and cleared her throat. "This is embarrassing, but um tonight you just...you made me realize a lot of things."

"Like what?" he asked curiously. Sakura leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. "What was that for?" he inquired, slowly touching the spot her lips had just brushed against. While it was only for a few short moments, Naruto felt electricity shooting through him. That feeling when her lips were on him was one of the best feelings he'd ever known.

"You made me feel so special," Sakura explained, looking into his blue eyes. "No one has ever made me feel this way before and...I will never forget tonight." She stood up from the coffee table and realized things were getting just a little too intense.

"Sakura," Naruto called out to her before she started walking away. She licked her lips and looked down at him, but her eyes traveled up as he stood up. He put his hands on her shoulders, they were so warm and calloused, but she loved the feeling. It was rough and, yet tender at the same time. "You are the most amazing girl, I have ever met. You are beautiful, but don't know it, your smart, your tough, and you make the best stir fry ever. I know you bought that rock hard couch in hopes that I wouldn't stay at your place, you don't realize that when you walk into the room, it lights up. And you have the best laugh I have ever heard, you're amazing Sakura. You don't need a man to make you feel special, because you are special."

"Naruto," Sakura whispered, staring deeply into his eyes, feeling herself lean in. "Where is all this coming from?" she asked, lost in his stare.

"It's coming from a place that I've kept hidden from you for about eight years," he replied, slowly letting go of her shoulders. "Goodnight, Sakura." Naruto leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey friends, thanks for the comments on the last chapter, they totally got me going on this story. So I don't know about you guys, but I thought this chapter was pretty awesome. I can't wait to hear what you all thought, what do you think of their relationship so far? Let me know!


	5. Chapter 5

**The ****Explanation**

When Sakura and Naruto had returned back to the village late Monday evening, it had begun to rain. They both looked up at the sky as the water droplets started speckling on the ground. The two looked at each other and started running before they would get soaked to the bone. As they ran through the streets, they went for Naruto's apartment since it was closer than Sakura's.

They got under the cover of Naruto's apartment complex after a few minutes. Unfortunately, they had gotten pretty wet, but they were out of the rain. Naruto opened up his apartment door and invited Sakura in. They both were shivering since they were soaked, so Naruto ran into his bedroom to grab both of them some dry clean clothes.

Sakura took off her shoes and socks. She wandered over to the kitchen to get some hot tea started to warm their bodies before they would end up catching a cold. As she looked around the small apartment, Sakura pursed her lips. It was actually clean, which was very rare because Naruto could be such a slob sometimes. She put the kettle on the stove top and heard Naruto walk up behind her. When she turned around he was holding up some dry clothes for her.

"Don't want to get sick, so you can wear these," Naruto said to her with a soft smile. Sakura thanked him and took the clothes from him before heading to the bathroom to change.

Closing the bathroom door, Sakura looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a wet dog with her hair in a disarray and her clothes clinging to her body. Peeling off her clothes, Sakura looked at the clothes Naruto had given her. It was a simple black t-shirt that would definitely be too big for her. When she pulled it on, she chuckled lightly. It looked more like a mini dress since the shirt reached her mid thigh. He'd also given her a pair of orange shorts, which caused her to roll her eyes. The shorts hung on her hips; if she made any fast movements they would probably fall off. Thankfully the shirt was long though so Naruto wouldn't be able to see anything anyways.

Sakura put her hair up into a bun and nodded after one final check in the mirror. When she walked out of the bathroom, Sakura saw Naruto standing in the kitchen with his back to her. Once again the boy was shirtless, which made her blush a bit. Letting out a breath, Sakura walked into the kitchen and smiled at him. He looked at her and chuckled, his clothes looked like they were eating her alive.

"I'm dainty," Sakura mumbled with a shrug, hopping onto the counter across from him.

"Yeah, but you pack a mean punch," Naruto commented. "I speak from plenty of experience." Sakura laughed at his words, while Naruto reminisced on the countless times she'd punched him.

The two fell silent again. Naruto was leaning against the counter in a pair of baggy sweat pants that hung to his hips, revealing a sexy 'V' cut. Sakura sucked in a breath when she noticed it and really wished he would put a shirt on. He'd really grown up, he was still a goofball sometimes, but he'd matured a lot since he was twelve years old, heck he was a standup guy even compared to his sixteen year old self. Sakura felt a little special, knowing that she'd always have a special place in his heart.

_"It's coming from a place that I've kept hidden from you for about eight years," he replied, slowly letting go of her shoulders. "Goodnight, Sakura." Naruto leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead._

The kettle began whistling loudly and both of them went to grab it. As they reached for the handle at the same time, their hands gently touched. Sakura quickly pulled back and apologized, but Naruto simply smiled and said he would get it ready. Nodding to him, Sakura stepped back and felt gooseflesh starting to rise. Maybe it was just because her hair was wet and she was cold, but something told her those little bumps on her skin were caused by that electrifying touch.

It was so sudden. The feeling made her heart race though and the way he had smiled at her, she didn't know what he was doing to her. After his confession last night, Sakura couldn't stop playing it over and over in her head. His look when he said those words to her were so sincere and genuine. They'd been friends for so long and now all of the sudden she didn't see him as that hyperactive knucklehead ninja, she saw him as Naruto Uzumaki.

"You alright?" Naruto asked, noticing that Sakura was just staring into space. She was lost in her thoughts and when she didn't answer, Naruto placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Sakura flinched and turned to look at him, laughing nervously. "Here," Naruto said, handing her a cup of steaming hot tea.

"Thanks," Sakura chimed, holding the cup in her hands and gingerly brought it to her lips. She took a small sip and felt the hot liquid pouring down her throat and warm up her body. "It's good."

"Great, come on let's go sit." Naruto nodded to the couch in the living room. Sakura followed the blond over and took a seat on one end while he took a seat on the other. As they sat in silence drinking their tea with only the sound of the rain pouring on the window, Sakura glanced around Naruto's apartment. It was sparsely decorated, mostly looking empty and almost lonely. Sakura wondered if that's how Naruto felt most of the time.

"You're apartment is so clean," Sakura mentioned and Naruto looked around and shrugged his shoulders. He was hardly home to begin with. Being a Hokage in training came with a lot of work, so most of the time he was at the tower, hanging out with Sasuke or Kakashi, or training Konohamaru. "You used to be such a slob," Sakura reminded him with a chuckle and Naruto snorted, "you trying to impress someone? A girl maybe?"

"What are you getting at, Sakura?" Naruto inquired with a raised brow and a suspicious stare. The pinkette shrugged nonchalantly, but Naruto wasn't buying it for a second. Taking one more sip from his tea, Naruto stared straight ahead at the clock on the wall. "If you must know, I've only been on like six dates in the past three years."

Sakura was a bit surprised to hear that, Naruto always had the offers pouring in. Whenever she saw him girls were always gushing about his good looks and how they'd love to go out for a drink. Then again, Naruto wasn't one to fall for a beautiful woman, he said he learned from Jiraiya that falling for beautiful women was dangerous. Sakura looked to Naruto, who was staring right back at her and shrugged his shoulders.

"But you always get so many offers," Sakura mumbled and Naruto furrowed his brows. "I just assumed you were a true ladies man." She giggled at her own words and the blond snickered, waving that assumption away.

"Just because I get a lot of offers, doesn't mean I say yes to them," Naruto commented and Sakura nodded in understanding. On some level, Sakura was very happy to hear that, but she wasn't exactly sure why. "If you recall, you get quite a few offers as well."

"Oh those are just silly boys," Sakura stated, waving her hand at him. Naruto rolled his eyes and knew for a fact, Sakura just adored the attention. "I want someone special."

"And what's special?" Naruto inquired with intrigue.

"I don't know, but I will know when I find him," Sakura replied with a wink. Naruto laughed lightly and poured himself some more tea. "So when you said you were a virgin, you were serious?" Sakura asked suddenly, catching Naruto off guard a bit. Her interest in the matter was quite baffling to him.

"Why would I lie about that?" Naruto questioned with a laugh. Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but closed it and nodded. He was right, why would he lie about such a thing, especially to her. They were best friends, he always told her the truth...eventually at least. "I happen to know you aren't though."

Sakura turned bright red and stared at him with wide eyes, but that embarrassment quickly turned into anger. "WHAT!" she glowered at him, clenching her fist tightly nearly shattering the tea cup in her hands. Naruto started scooting back as Sakura got onto her feet and stared at him with a fire in her eyes. Just as he was about to jump away, Sakura grabbed him by his shoulders and started shaking him. "WHY IN THE WORLD ARE YOU ASKING PEOPLE ABOUT MY VIRGINITY!?" Sakura shouted and Naruto laughed nervously, hoping Sakura would calm down, but it was apparent that wouldn't be happening.

"Well Sai and Sasuke and I were talking and it uh...kind of came up..." Naruto trailed off and Sakura let go of Naruto's shoulders, stepping back in surprise. "I never thought Sai would be the guy you'd give it away too, but hey I understand." Naruto shrugged his shoulders and Sakura looked a bit ashamed of herself.

"I was drunk," Sakura breathed.

"You don't have to explain, Sakura," Naruto assured her, but she held her hand up to silence him. He noticed the shame on her face and the sadness in her eyes, it made him worry a little bit. Naruto had only seen her look like this on three occasions. The first time was when he was going to get Sasuke for the first time when they were at the village gates. He'd never forget her tears and the hoarseness of her voice. The second time was when Lady Tsunade had gone into a comatose after Pain's attack on the village, and the third and final time was when Sasuke and himself nearly killed each other. He hated seeing her like that it put a vile taste in his mouth.

"I hate that it happened the way it did," Sakura began, staring down at the ground. Naruto gave her a sympathetic look and was about to say something, but she continued, "I just kind of lost myself and now it's like the biggest regret...or well one of them." She brushed a strand of her pink hair behind her ear and looked at Naruto with watery eyes.

He knew her tears were about to fall and it pained him to see that. To Naruto nothing was worst than seeing his friends and loved ones in pain. Whenever someone he cared about cried, his heart reached out to them.

"Sakura-"

"It has nothing to do with Sai, he's my friend and I like him, but not enough to give him something so important," Sakura explained and sighed heavily, taking a seat on the couch beside Naruto. She put her elbows on her knees and buried her face into her hands. He wasn't sure why she was telling him all of this, it was her own business.

"Sakura you don't have to explain really, I understand," Naruto assured her, placing a hand on her back in a comforting and affectionate sort of manner. Sakura bit her lip and turned to look at Naruto, his serene blue eyes calming her down. "We have all made mistakes." He shrugged his shoulders and gave her his usual cheesy lopsided grin that could uplift anyones spirit. That was one of Naruto's very best qualities he could make people happy without even trying, just by smiling he could put everyone at ease.

"I know that," Sakura muttered softly and Naruto squeezed her shoulder. She turned to him and licked her lips before saying, "I just feel guilty because of why I did it."

Naruto moved his hand from her shoulder and tilted his head in confusion. "What?" he inquired, not sure what she was trying to say. "Sakura if you were drunk you weren't yourself."

"Yes that's true, but I got drunk for a stupid reason and then I did something even stupider after the fact," Sakura stated and swallowed hard. The memories were coming back to her. Flashes of images from that night, the bar, her friends, the music blaring through the speakers, the empty cups of booze, Sai, and Naruto. This had all happened two years ago, but the sting of the pain still felt like it happened a day ago. "Sai's not to blame for this either, it was kind of my idea and he was drunk too."

"Wait, you knew?" Naruto asked her slightly shocked by her story. Sakura sighed softly and nodded her head. The blond boy sitting next to her wasn't sure why, but he felt a little pinch of anger burning in his gut. "I don't get it," he mumbled, shaking his head.

"I'm not proud of it, but I did it because I was hurt and wanted comfort," Sakura explained and Naruto furrowed his brows.

"And sex with Sai was the answer to those problems?" Naruto asked with a snort, which caused Sakura to look at him. She wasn't sure, but the way Naruto was glowering at the wall across the way, she'd say he was hurt by her words. He felt her viridescent eyes on him and sighed softly, looking at her apologetically. "That was harsh...sorry," he muttered bitterly.

"Look, Sai wouldn't be my first choice okay, not even Sasuke," Sakura stated firmly and Naruto glanced at her through the corner of his eyes. "If I could go back and change it I would pick...you or...even-"

"What?" Naruto interjected with an astonished look on his face. Sakura wished that she could retract her words, but it was too late. "Can you say that one more time?" he asked with widened eyes.

"You heard me, Naruto," Sakura replied softly, avoiding his eyes that were still locked onto her small frame hidden beneath his clothes. She sighed softly and ran her fingers through her hair. Her eyes ventured over to the window and she could see it had finally stopped raining, but it was still muggy and gray. "Look, I should go." Sakura started for the door where her shoes and bag were located.

"Sakura, hold on a second." Sakura stopped, but kept her back to Naruto. She wasn't sure what was going on with herself lately, she was just blurting out all these things to Naruto. If she kept going the way she was, their friendship would surely be ruined. "You can't just leave after saying something like that."

Sakura closed her eyes and let out a breath before she spoke again, "Naruto...I don't know what's wrong with me lately...but I...have to go." She grabbed her bag and shoes and ran out the door without looking back.

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted her name, but the door was closed and she was already gone. He stood there in the middle of his living room, completely and utterly confused. He couldn't even begin to understand why Sakura said what she did. "Why would she...pick me?" Naruto asked himself quietly. He stared at the wooden floor of his apartment before he fell onto his beige colored couch. Placing his hands over his face, Naruto groaned and shook his head. Normally he'd be elated by Sakura's words, but at the moment he was just confused.

Did Sakura Haruno, the girl he'd been in love with for eight years, have feelings for him as well?

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hello amazing readers! I was absolutely blown away by the amount of comments I received on the last chapter, completely and utterly blown away, I can not thank you all enough for leaving your feedback! Hopefully this chapter was a good one, I really can't wait for all of your wonderful feedback! Thanks so much for reading and favorite and commenting, it means so much to me!


	6. Chapter 6

**The Search**

Naruto hadn't seen Sakura in two a half weeks, which was bothering him. Given their last encounter, Naruto wanted to talk to her about it. Unfortunately she had avoided him like the plague and then he got sent on a mission. He returned late the other evening and he made it his mission to find Sakura and talk to her, but she was nowhere to be found. Naruto searched all of her favorite spots, her apartment, the hospital, and even the training grounds. After five hours of endless searching, Naruto was beginning to think Sakura might have possibly gone on a mission. After all, how hard can it be to find a person with bubblegum pink hair? They'd stick out like a sore thumb, but Sakura was doing a great job at hiding.

Naruto huffed as he came around the corner and spotted Yamanaka Flowers. If anyone would know where Sakura was it had to be her best friend, Ino. Those two told each other everything, while they may have been rivals, Naruto liked to think it was mostly for show. As he crossed the street, Naruto walked into the flower shop that looked like a forest on the inside. There were so many flowers and pots and wind chimes lying about. In a way it looked like some sort of magical place. As he walked towards the counter in the back he overheard Ino yelling at someone. Naruto crossed his fingers, hoping it was Sakura, but when he came around a display case his smile turned into a frown.

"I said one o'clock!" Ino argued with Shikamaru, who was leaning against the far end of the counter while Ino was flipping through a black binder filled with work orders.

"No you said two o'clock," Shikamaru rebutted with a shake of his head. The blonde girl on the other side of the counter huffed and placed her hands on her hips. Naruto on the other hand watched silently from the sidelines, Ino and Shikamaru's arguments were also laughable. And at that moment, Naruto could really use a good laugh. Anything to get his mind off of Sakura possibly avoiding him. He hated that she left things up in the air like that, it was like reading the story to the climax, but never finding out the ending. "I swear you said two o'clock." Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No, Shikamaru, I did not say two o'clock!" Ino snapped back, waving her pen at him. She was wearing a yellow t-shirt with dark green capri pants and had an apron tied around her waist. Her hair was up in it's usual ponytail and her blue eyes were framed with kohl black eyeliner. "Just admit you got it wrong and we can put this all behind us."

"Ino you said two o'clock!" Shikamaru barked back and Naruto was a bit surprised. Normally Shikamaru wasn't one to argue, so he'd just let it go and do whatever it was Ino wanted. They'd been dating for about a year now and while they bickered like an old married couple half the time, they truly did love each other. "You said it twice actually," Shikamaru recalled and Ino scowled, throwing her hands up into the air.

The two were so caught up in their argument they did even notice Naruto standing their with his smile slowly growing bigger and bigger. He leaned against the shelving of the display case and waited for them to finish their lovers spat.

"Ugh! Your so unbelievable! Why would I say two o'clock when my lunch ends at two o'clock!" Ino snapped, glaring daggers at her boyfriend. He merely let his head fall between his shoulders and looked back up at Ino. "You were supposed to meet me at one, not two."

"Well I may have needed to meet you at one, but you told me two," Shikamaru stated and Ino rolled her eyes, waving him away as she went back to getting her work orders done. "Twice."

"UGH! The only way I would have said two o'clock, Shikamaru Nara, was if I said, 'My boyfriend is such a smart-ass. Two o'clock!'"

"Oh that's cute," Shikamaru grumbled, rolling his hazel eyes. He shoved his hands into his jounin vest and was about to leave, but he stopped when he saw Naruto standing behind them. The blond boy chuckled a bit and Shikamaru sighed, "well if it isn't Naruto."

Ino turned around when she heard Shikamaru say that. Her blue eyes fell on Naruto's as he greeted the two of them and walked over to the counter.

"You two are just so precious," Naruto joked.

Ino and Shikamaru looked at each other and quickly turned away. Naruto laughed at their action and leaned onto the counter. "What do you want, Naruto?" Ino asked, still a tad peeved from her and Shikamaru's argument.

"I was looking for Sakura, have you seen her?" Naruto questioned, looking first at Ino and then to Shikamaru. They both told him they hadn't seen her all day, which made Naruto frown. That wasn't the good news he was hoping for, but there were still a few more people he could ask. "Is she on a mission or something?"

"No," Shikamaru answered. "And I would know cause I've been sending people on missions all week." The lazy genius shrugged his shoulders and Naruto nodded, at least he now knew she was somewhere in the village.

"I guess I'll ask Sai or Sasuke if they've seen her then, unless you know where she is, Ino." Naruto looked at the blonde girl, he was fairly certain that Sakura had told her about their conversation from a couple of weeks ago. Shikamaru looked at Ino as well, but the girl shrugged her shoulders. "I find it hard to believe you don't know where she is," Naruto probed.

"I saw her a couple of days ago, but I haven't seen her today," Ino explained and Naruto nodded slowly, pursing his lips. He didn't really feel like pressing the matter, one way or another he would find Sakura. "If you really can't find her just go into Sage mode."

"I thought about that, but I figure if she wants to be found then she'll show herself," Naruto replied with a shrug and pushed away from the counter, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He was about ready to head off and find Sasuke, who was certainly at the training grounds blowing stuff up.

"Then why are you looking?" Ino asked with a raised brow.

"I want to ask her something and I'm getting impatient," Naruto mumbled and turned on his heels. "Later." He walked off in the direction of the front door. When he walked outside, Naruto looked up at the blue sky and sighed. His stomach started grumbling, so he decided to head to Ichiraku Ramen before continuing his search.

He didn't understand why Sakura was avoiding him, he wasn't made at her. Startled, perhaps, but not angry at all. If anything he was flattered by her words. He felt a bit special, knowing Sakura would have rather given her virginity to him than anyone else. Naruto stared at the ground and wondered what possessed her to sleep with Sai. Sure she was drunk and so was he, but she also claimed it was somewhat her idea. It was a real head scratcher and Naruto was having issues connecting the dots. Sai had become a stand up guy, he wasn't a bad person, so Sakura didn't lose something so precious to some weirdo, but Sai did have his moments.

If anything Sai was just blatantly honest about everything, that boy didn't understand the meaning of sugar coating anything. He was learning though and Naruto was happy to know that Sai meant no harm about it. In fact, Naruto remembered quite clearly when Sai told him about it even though it had happened nearly two years ago.

_Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke were out on the training grounds, doing their usual weekly training session. As per usual it was heated and destructive, rubble and debris were strewn across the open field, smoking craters, rocks jutting out in all angles, and even a few trees had been knocked over. Those three never really knew how to take it easy on their natural surroundings, they went all in and never pulled a punch._

_ "Naruto I want to tell you something," Sai announced as he sat down by the creeks edge. Naruto was cupping his hands under the cool water and splashing it onto his face. Looking to the pale boy, Naruto gestured for him to say what was on his mind. "Remember that party last weekend?" Sai questioned, looking at the rippling water._

_ "You mean Sasuke's reinstatement party." Naruto affirmed with a chuckle. How could he possibly forget such a party when it was his and Sakura's idea. Sasuke surely didn't want any part of it, but they thought it was a huge feat for him. They got all their friends and had some food, dancing, and probably all had way to much to drink. "What about it?"Naruto queried as he threw off his jacket to hopefully cool down in the late summer heat._

_ "It's about Sakura," Sai began and Naruto raised a brow. "We...kind of...sorta...we well..."_

_ "They hooked up," Sasuke chimed in as he walked over. Naruto's eyes widened and Sai looked to Sasuke in surprise. "Oh yeah, I saw." Sasuke smirked at Sai, who cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck._

_ "You and Sakura?" Naruto asked, on some level he was hurt, but at the same time it wasn't like Sakura was his girlfriend or anything._

_ "Yes," Sai replied with a single nod._

_ "Sakura and you?" Naruto pointed at Sai, who nodded once again. "My teammate Sakura, and you?"_

_ "Yeah," Sai answered honestly, looking a little disappointed in himself. Naruto looked away and took in a sharp breath, it wasn't his business, what Sakura did with her body was her own business. Besides she didn't even like Naruto in a romantic sense and he had slowly been trying to get over her. It was working up until he heard this, but he couldn't get mad at Sai...despite the fact Sai knew Naruto had feelings for Sakura._

_ "Wow, so you and Sakura," Naruto swallowed hard and pushed away his feelings. All he wanted was for Sakura to be happy and if she was that was enough for him. Over all, Naruto actually appreciated that Sai told him._

_ "It's a lame and pathetic excuse, but we were drunk and before we knew it...it happened," Sai fretted and Naruto gave his friend a weak smile. Naruto had liked Sakura since their academy days, but she always only had eyes for Sasuke. Then when she came to him and said she had feelings for him when they were in the Land of Iron, Naruto didn't believe her. After the war, she was there for him, but her feelings for Sasuke came back full force. Now, here he is at nineteen years old, still being the last person on her totem pole. He couldn't deny it hurt, but he also had come to terms with it._

_ "Well I always figured it be Sasuke and Sakura before you and Sakura, but hey there's nothing you can do about it right," Naruto responded with a smile and shrug of his shoulders. Sasuke gave Naruto a disbelieving look, he wouldn't dare believe Naruto was okay with it. Sai stared at Naruto for a moment too and looked down at the ground. "Hey come on, no amount of wishing and regretting will change it. Besides, Sakura is just a good friend, I accept her feelings for me." Naruto laid back on the soft green grass and watched the clouds slowly float by overhead._

_ "Naruto we all know how you feel about her," Sai added and Naruto turned his head to his friend. "It's okay if you're mad about it, I wouldn't blame you."_

_ "I just want Sakura to be happy and that's enough for me," Naruto said._

Naruto started shoveling the ramen into his mouth. If nothing else, ramen would always be his true love. The past month and a half had been strange, ever since he found that erotica novel of Sakura's there was something between them. Sure he had pretty much confessed his feelings to her their last night at the hot springs, but he also figured she'd already known that. Out of everyone, Naruto always put Sakura's happiness first. It was so obvious, Sakura couldn't possibly be that blind to his feelings. Then again, he had kind of hid them away for the past two years since he found out about her and Sai.

He honestly not mad at either of them for it. There was no point in him being mad at them for it, they were both his friends, both he treasured dearly and held close to his heart. When he told Sai that he just wanted Sakura to be happy, that was the whole truth. Naruto didn't care what the source was whether it was Sasuke, Sai, hell he didn't even care if it was Rock Lee, he just wanted her to be happy.

Naruto sighed softly at the memory of Sakura leaving him that day in his apartment. The sad look on her face and her accidental confession that she would have rather lost her virginity to him. That would never happen now, but he took comfort in knowing that was how she felt. Running his fingers through his hair, Naruto stared at his now empty bowl of ramen. He pulled some money from his pocket and laid it down on the counter, leaving the ramen stand quietly. Naruto wanted to know, no, he needed to know if what Sakura had said was true.

He started making his way down in the direction of the training grounds. His mind was elsewhere, but his legs just continued to move forward. Naruto was wondering what he would even do if Sakura told him she had feelings for him. What would he do? Would he ask her to be his girlfriend? Would he take her in his arms and kiss her the way he's been wanting to since he was twelve years old? Sputtering, Naruto put his hands behind his head and stopped thinking. That was the only thing he could do, he would only drive himself crazy if he kept thinking about all the possibilities.

Nothing was certain until he spoke to Sakura. He needed to see the look on her face, hear the tone of her voice, and look into her eyes. Until he could do that, there was no point in poking and prodding for different situations. For all he knew he was building it all up in his head and would come crashing down when she said she didn't love him in a romantic way. Naruto wasn't stupid, obviously Sakura loved him in a sisterly sort of way. And for a while that was enough, Naruto even tried to forget her a few times with one to many glasses of sake.

It never made it stop though and she never seemed to vanish from his heart and mind. Every time Naruto went on a date with a beautiful girl, he just didn't feel it. When he told Sakura he'd gone on a few dates, it was for two reasons. The first to see if he could get anything out of her and the second was to prove he was trying to get over her. Each time though, Sakura merely smiled and would say she was happy for him.

"Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists!" Hinata's voice rang through the trees. Naruto stopped walking and looked up ahead. Jumping up into the trees, Naruto sped off to the training grounds just up ahead. When he broke through the trees, he stopped on a high branch and crouched down on it.

Standing close to Hinata was none other than Sasuke Uchiha, who had Susanoo's ribs forming around his body for protection. Naruto found it odd that these two were sparring, Hinata was so gentle and kind and Sasuke was the polar opposite. Hinata jumped away from Sasuke when her hits did little to no damage to him. She was panting heavily and by the looks of things they had been going at it for quite a while.

"That's enough for today," Sasuke ordered and the purple ribs of his Susanoo faded away. Hinata let out a breath of relief, she was obviously exhausted. "You're getting better." He placed a hand on her shoulder and Hinata smiled tiredly.

"Well, you're a hard teacher," Hinata noted, causing Sasuke to smirk. He removed his hand from the Hyuga's shoulder and turned around, looking up into the trees. His dark eyes fell onto Naruto Uzumaki, who waved when Sasuke spotted him. Hinata noticed Sasuke's sudden mood change and looked in the direction he was staring at. "Oh, hello Naruto!" Hinata greeted with a kind smile as the blond boy jumped down and came walking over to them.

"Hinata, Sasuke," Naruto smiled, nodding to both of them in acknowledgement. He hadn't realized these two trained together, hell he didn't even know they talked to one another. "This is a surprise." He gestured between the two of them.

Hinata was about to say something, but Sasuke beat her too it, "I'm training her." Naruto raised a brow in confusion as the Uchiha spoke.

"Training her? For what?" Naruto inquired.

"She wants to join the ANBU and as she is, she'll never make it," Sasuke gibed. Naruto blinked a few times while Hinata looked down at the ground. He personally thought it was great, but he also thought that Hinata was far to gentle to be as ruthless as someone from ANBU. She cared way too much, just now the way Sasuke had spoken about her made her seem a bit hurt.

"And why did you volunteer for this, this is very unlike you," Naruto pointed out with a chuckle. The dark haired boy looked at Hinata, who gave him a weak smile and then looked back at his blond haired friend.

"She asked me to, so I agreed," Sasuke answered with a shrug.

"Slowly, but surely Sasuke you're starting to grow a heart again," Naruto quipped and the Uchiha snorted, unamused by Naruto's joke. Sasuke may have been wandering crazy town for a while when he was a teenager, but he'd straightened out quite a bit since after the war. Granted he'd never be the same, but he wasn't completely devoid of sentiment, no one was that heartless. "You're a lousy teacher though, Hinata is an excellent shinobi." Naruto gave her a thumbs up and the Hyuga girl smiled, bowing to him in appreciation.

"I never said she wasn't, I think she's got a lot of potential actually," Sasuke interjected and Naruto pursed his lips, surprised by Sasuke's words. "She's simply just to hesitant and gentle." Sasuke turned to Hinata, who opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it. She knew that Sasuke thought she had come a long way since they first started her training a two months ago. He may have acted like he was unimpressed, but she knew it was all for show. Sasuke wasn't exactly one to give compliments after all.

"Hinata if he's ever to hard on you just let me know and I'll straighten him out," Naruto offered, jutting his thumb into his chest. Hinata laughed lightly and assured Naruto she would keep that offer in mind. Sasuke merely rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance.

"What do you want, dope?" Sasuke asked and Naruto snorted. The Uchiha had started calling him 'dope' again, just like the old days. In a way, Naruto liked it when he did that it reminded him of a simpler time when they were just genin trying to make their way in the world.

"I was actually coming to see if you'd seen Sakura," Naruto admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Not since this morning," Sasuke replied with a shrug. "I ran into her at the hospital."

"Was she working?" Naruto asked and Sasuke nodded his head. "She's been avoiding me lately."

"Why would she be avoiding you?" Hinata inquired curiously. The truth was, Hinata and Naruto were always meant to be just friends. After the war had ended, Naruto actually confronted her about her confession during Pain's attack on Konoha. He said that he loved her too, but not in a romantic way. She was a bit disappointed that her feelings were not reciprocated, but at the same time she was able to move on. They remained good friends though and nothing changed between them. In the end that's all Hinata wanted. She wanted Naruto to know her feelings and he did, so she was satisfied.

"I can't say for sure," Naruto grumbled.

"Did you say something that pissed her off when you guys went to the hot springs?" Sasuke investigated.

"I don't think I did," Naruto answered. He knew exactly why she was avoiding him, he just didn't want to tell Sasuke and Hinata about it. At least, not until he talked to Sakura first. "I'll just go wait for her at her apartment, see you later." Naruto smiled and waved to the two before running off in a hurry.

"He's lying," Sasuke stated the moment Naruto was out of sight.

"About what?" Hinata asked, confused by Sasuke's accusation.

"The reason Sakura's avoiding him, he knows, I could tell by the way he was acting," Sasuke explained and Hinata nodded her head in understanding, he was being a bit fidgety.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I was quite insulted last chapter, I will not lie. My feelings were deeply hurt by what some comments and PM's I had received said. Yeah, I know boo-hoo right, well I think it was unfair for people to call me a bitch and say fuck you, just because of what I decided to do with my story. It was uncalled for. If you don't like my choice fine, but you don't have to ridicule me! Who do you think you are? I'm still a person with feelings, that does not give you a right to call me a bitch and say fuck you. Disliking the story is one thing, but I will not tolerate being bullied. And if this story is 'ruined' as many have said, fine, I will not stop writing it.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Dirty Talk**

Sakura sighed softly as she dawdled around the village, no real direction, she just wanted to walk and clear her head. She'd heard from a couple of her friends that Naruto was looking for her, but she already knew that. The thing was, she was just being stupid and selfish, and she knew it. Naruto was a good person and he didn't deserve her toying with his feelings, she always knew deep down inside Naruto had loved her. He loved her more than just a friend, or in a sisterly way, he loved her in a romantic way. Of course, since she never returned those emotions, Naruto locked away his feelings and just did whatever he could to make sure she was happy. It made her feel very guilty and she could already hear Naruto telling her that she didn't need to feel that way.

And maybe she really didn't need to feel that way, but she was a girl and as gender they did tend to overreact. Finding a bench, Sakura took a seat near the river that ran through the village. The sun was finally starting to set and cast the village in an orange fiery hue. It was her favorite part of the day, seeing the village in such a wild color. Running her fingers through her hair, Sakura sighed deeply and debated what she was going to do. While she was mulling over her thoughts, Sakura heard some voice. They were faint, but it was definitely two people and they were close by. She started looking around and located that the sound was coming from behind her in the large cluster of trees that led off towards the eastern part of the village.

Deciding to see what all the commotion was about, Sakura stealthily ventured into the forested area. With each step she made she could hear the voices more clearly. They were both male, she could tell by the deepness and ruggedness. Just up ahead was a small clearing and she could hear the voices perfectly. Getting behind a tree, Sakura poked around it and saw that it was Kiba and Lee who were chit chatting out there.

"Come on, Lee, just do it," Kiba grumbled, seeming rather frustrated and Sakura raised a brow. She wondered what the two of them were doing out here so late in the evening. "You asked for my help, well I'm helping." Kiba threw his hands up in the air and Lee looked hesitant for some reason.

Lee hadn't changed much at all, in fact, he looked just like Guy did. He still wore the green body suit, his brows were still bushy, and his hair cut hadn't changed since they were thirteen. Kiba looked the same too, a bit more bulkier now and a little more wild eyed, but overall still the same Kiba.

"This is just awkward," Lee mumbled, shaking his head and Sakura was starting to become really confused about what was going on.

"Stop being a wuss and look me in the eye and say you want to touch my butt!" Kiba barked and Sakura just about fell over, she obviously was eavesdropping on the wrong conversation. "Talking dirty is easy, just say what you wanna do to me."

"I want to punch you," Lee replied and Kiba groaned, slapping a hand onto his face. Sakura was trying not to laugh at the two, Kiba was the biggest playboy in the village. He was good looking and a charmer when it came to the ladies, but Lee was the exact opposite. Lee was a terrible flirt, it was almost pitiful sometimes.

"What do you want to do to her?" Kiba corrected himself and Lee huffed. In a way it was almost adorable how Lee was going to Kiba for advice. Although Sakura had a hard time imagining Lee doing any sort of dirty talk. "Just act like everything she does, says, and everything around you turns you on."

"But it doesn't," Lee interjected and Kiba let his head fall between his shoulders. Sakura covered her mouth with both hands to muffle her laughter. If they heard her, well Kiba probably wouldn't care, but Lee would definitely die of embarrassment.

"I know, I know, but you just gotta pretend," Kiba tried and Lee nodded stiffly. "Now, let's try this again. Go!" The brunette waited for Lee to speak, but he just stood there and didn't utter a single sound. "Lee, you're killing me, killing me!" Kiba shook his head in disappointment.

"I don't even know what to say!" Lee whined, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm hopeless."

"Yeah you are," Kiba grumbled and Lee started to pout a bit, which made Kiba sigh and cross his arms over his chest. "Okay, come on, seriously try. Pretend I'm her, what do you want to do to her?" Kiba patted Lee on his arm and stepped back, waiting for the bushy brows boy to say something.

"Okay," Lee swallowed and Kiba smiled weakly, "I uh...I want to rip off all your clothes and take my tongue and..."

"Come on, I like it keep going," Kiba encouraged, staring down at the ground while Lee stood beside him trying to get the words out. Sakura's mouth was falling open and then her eyes went wide when she saw Naruto walking up from behind the two. They didn't seem to notice him at all and just when he was about to say something Lee started talking again.

"I want to rip off all your clothes, take my tongue and run it all over your hot skin until you are trembling with-"

Naruto had stepped on a tree branch and his mouth was hanging wide open. He blinked several times as Lee and Kiba slowly turned around. When they saw him they both looked at each other and cleared their throats. "With?" Naruto asked with a laugh.

Sakura hid behind the tree, trying her damnedest not to laugh. It was so hard though, she could only imagine the thoughts and images Naruto had floating around in his mind. He was never going to let those two live it down just like when he found her erotic novel. Tears were forming in her eyes, cause she was laughing so hard. She could hear Kiba and Lee's words jumbling together and they were trying to explain what they were doing, but Naruto only burst out in laughter.

"Seriously it isn't what it sounds like," Lee assured Naruto, who was wiping the tears from the corner of his eyes.

"Seriously got a work out from that laugh," Naruto grinned. "I knew you two would always end up together." The blond winked at the two and Lee let his head fall between his shoulders. Kiba pursed his lips and let out a low whistle, he knew Naruto was going to tell everyone in the village about this little set-up.

"Look Lee asked for my help and I was just being a friend," Kiba explained and Naruto snickered. "Oh this is pointless, did you need something?" the brunette asked, waving off the matter of Lee's dirty talk.

"Just trying to find Sakura," Naruto admitted with a shrug. "But you two." The blond started laughing as he gestured between Kiba and Lee.

"Haven't seen her," the two said at the same time and Naruto sighed, he expected that answer. She wasn't at her apartment and he got tired of waiting, so he was on his way to see if she was at the hospital.

Sakura looked at the blond boy and sighed, she couldn't keep avoiding him. Eventually she would have to confront him about her confession. It was the right thing to do, so swallowing her pride and guilt, Sakura decided to show herself. Walking out from behind the tree, Sakura approached with a smile on her face and greeted the three. All of them stopped talking and looked over at the pinkette as she waved to them.

"What are you guys doing? I heard a lot of laughing going on," Sakura said, standing across from Naruto. His looked relieved to see her, which made her feel a little more confident about showing herself. She was worried he'd be mad at her, of course she knew better. Naruto wasn't like that.

"Sakura," Naruto began his blue eyes staring into her green ones, "I have been looking all over for you, where have you been?" he questioned with a slightly worried look coming onto his face.

"I know," Sakura said softly. "I'm sorry about that Naruto, I was just here and there." She shrugged her shoulders and Naruto's brows knitted together. That answer would not suffice, but he remembered that Kiba and Lee were standing right there next to him. Naruto assumed Sakura wouldn't want to say anything to them about what was going on between them.

"Uh Sakura, how much did you hear exactly?" Lee inquired and Sakura bit her lip.

"Not much," Sakura replied and Lee let out a sigh of relief. "I was always rooting for you kids to get together." She winked and Lee's face turned red and Kiba cursed under his breath, looking away.

"You heard it too!" Lee exclaimed, slapping his hands on his face in a dramatic notion. The reaction got both Naruto and Sakura laughing so hard that their sides started to hurt. "Oh great, now we're going to be the laughing stock of the whole village."

"Lee you're already the laughing stock of the village with that green jumpsuit," Kiba muttered as he gestured to Lee's attire that in Kiba's opinion made him look like an overgrown asparagus. "Well I need a drink now, see you guys later." Shoving his hands into his pockets, Kiba started heading back towards the village and Lee followed after him, saying he still needed help with his dirty talk.

Sakura stopped laughing once they were gone and sighed, shaking her head in amusement. That was just the pick me up she had been needing. She felt Naruto's eyes on her and she turned to face him. Normally she could tell what he was thinking by the look on his face, but at the moment she wasn't sure what he was thinking. He pressed his lips together in a firm line and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. Sakura put her hands behind her back and swiveled where she stood, this is why she was afraid to face him.

Awkward silences.

"Can we talk?" Naruto asked.

"Yes," Sakura smiled and Naruto smiled back, nodding for her to follow him back to his apartment. Falling in sync with his steps, the two of them walked side by side. "I'm sorry for avoiding you, that was selfish of me."

"I'm just glad your talking now," Naruto admitted, glancing at her for a few seconds before turning back to their shadows that were stretching on the stone pathway of the village. "It's weird when you don't talk to me at least once a day, its like my whole day is thrown off if I don't talk to you or see you." He laughed lightly and Sakura felt this warm feeling consuming her from the inside out. His laugh always made her feel better just like his smile did. There was no way she could deny him now, Sakura was falling in love with Naruto Uzumaki.

Correction: Sakura Haruno was in love with Naruto Uzumaki.

"You know something," Sakura began and Naruto grunted in response, "I feel the same way, your like apart of my daily routine now. Breaking into my apartment and all."

"Which reminds me did you have your locks changed? Cause my key didn't work," Naruto commented, eyeing the girl suspiciously. She laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Are you sure you put the key in right?" Sakura asked sheepishly and Naruto snorted.

"How many ways can you do that?" Naruto inquired and Sakura giggled a bit, placing her hands behind her back. She had a little skip in her step everything felt like it was normal again. It felt good to talk to Naruto so casually, even though she knew once they got to his apartment everything would become intense again.

"Maybe you used the wrong key," Sakura guessed, but Naruto sputtered at her words.

"Such drastic measures to avoid me," Naruto grumbled and Sakura felt a weak smile come onto her face. She actually did have her locks changed, but not to avoid Naruto so much as keep him from barging in all the time. He just walked in without knocking, one time he even came in while she was getting out of a shower. She must have thrown everything at him including her sink.

"Well if you'd learn to knock maybe I wouldn't have changed the locks," Sakura mumbled and Naruto raised a brow at her. "Plus you eat all my food, and there is like a permeant imprint of your body on my couch!" Sakura scolded the boy, who only laughed at the thought of him being imprinted into that rock hard couch of hers.

"Something to remember me by, eh Sakura," he quipped, nudging her with his elbow. The girl's scowl turned into a smile and she rolled her eyes in response. Just up ahead Naruto's apartment came into view. "Why were you avoiding me, Sakura?" Naruto asked as they started climbing up the stairs to his apartment.

They were standing outside of his door and Sakura looked at him. She told herself to just rip the bandaid off and tell him the truth. Beating around the bush would only hurt him and make her go crazy. Biting her lip, Sakura closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. When she lifted her gaze, Naruto was standing inches from her face, waiting for her answer. She blushed and stepped back, bumping into the rail of the staircase.

"I just didn't know what to say to you," Sakura explained softly and Naruto tilted his head a bit. It was a reasonable enough answer, but that didn't mean he liked it. "The thing is...I think that...actually, I know that I have...feelings for you." She looked into his eyes and saw the surprise and shock come over them. He looked away from her and let out a quiet breath, staring at the ground.

"You have feelings for me?" Naruto repeated lowly, she barely heard him speaking. His eyes came back up to her green ones and he looked so confused by what she had just said. Sakura nodded her head and gave him a weak smile, grabbing a strand of her hair and nervously twisting it around her finger. Her back was still pressed up against the railing and she didn't know what else to say to him. "When did you...when did you, when did you?" Naruto uttered out and Sakura stifled a laugh at his shock.

"Naruto look, I know that I haven't been the greatest person in the world to you. I knew your feelings and I simply ignored them and pushed them away, because I thought I was in love with someone else. Over time though, I learned to respect you and love you for everything that you have done for me and everyone else," Sakura paused and looked into his eyes that were staring right back into hers as she continued, "it's no excuse of course, but I just didn't know what to think. Before I knew it, I was falling in love with you. You've always been by my side, smiling and laughing, encouraging me to do my best and for the longest time I just thought you were being my friend and now...well, I realize how stupid I was."

Naruto stared at Sakura, he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He just stood before her as she confessed her feelings to him. It all just seemed surreal to him, but this time it was different from when they were in the Land of Iron. This time he could actually see that it wasn't just a lie, that she wasn't doing it because she was worried about him. This time, Sakura Haruno was being so honest to him, striping herself of all her armor, completely vulnerable with her back against the railing.

"God, Naruto I really...I love you, you're home to me," Sakura explained and Naruto's expression softened as a smile came onto his face, it was small, but it was still a smile. "All this time, I thought that it would never work between us, but I realize now that it couldn't be any other way."

Naruto was stunned, he just looked at her as she stood there before him with a soft smile on her face. It was so beautiful, Sakura was beautiful and her words were hitting him right in his core.

"I've been so selfish," Sakura said, shaking her head. "The whole thing with Sai, avoiding you, lying to you, and there isn't an apology big enough that it encompasses all the reasons I was stupid and blind to your love."

Naruto walked right up to her, closing the gap between them and pressed his lips onto hers. Time seemed to stop as their lips moved against one another, Naruto's hands slowly moving down to Sakura's hips. Her hands slowly intertwined with his blond hair and he pulled her closer to his body. It was gentle and tender, yet wild and reckless, it was perfect the way he felt against her. When he pulled away slowly, he rested his forehead against hers and smiled at her. A loving and affectionate smile. There were butterflies in her stomach and she was scared, but at the same time it was better than she ever imagined it would be. She smiled and tilted her head, kissing him lightly just one more time.

It was a sink or swim moment.

She had waited far to long and she didn't plan on turning back now. Naruto laced their fingers together and pulled her in the direction of his apartment door. His alluring blue eyes never leaving her green ones. As the door came open, Naruto pulled her into his body and pushed the door closed. Sakura looked up at him, her eyes searching for answers.

"Sakura I have been in love with you for as long as I can remember," Naruto whispered to her, pressing her up against the door. His arms keeping her from escaping, his body heat radiating onto her. "You are difficult, frequently frustrating, remarkable, and simply the most beautiful woman I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I love you, Sakura Haruno." He captured her lips in another kiss and Sakura smiled against his lips, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

That kiss told Sakura everything she needed to know, she was in love with Naruto and there was nothing that would stand between them. The way his hands felt on her body, the chemistry between them, it was amazing. Sakura never wanted to forget this moment, but she knew that even if she tried to forget this moment it would never happen.

When they pulled apart, Sakura and Naruto were breathless. She smiled at him and touched his face gently, he was so handsome. He turned towards her touch and closed his eyes before scooping her up into his arms. Carrying her over to his couch, Naruto sat down with Sakura sitting in his lap.

"Naruto, I want to explain the whole Sai thing to you," Sakura said to him and Naruto looked away, he really didn't want to know. He felt it was better not knowing what had happened between them or why it happened.

"Sakura," Naruto said her name firmly, which somewhat startled her. When she looked into his eyes, she could see his hurt from the mention of her and Sai. It made her sad to see that it affected him so greatly. "I don't want to know, I don't care, because right here and right now...I'm with you." His rough hands cupped her face and Sakura gave him a soft smile. She shifted to where her knees were on either side of his hips and her hands were resting on his shoulders.

"Okay," Sakura whispered and Naruto smiled at her, sitting up straighter. Her heart was pressed up against his chest, his hands on her waist, and their lips met again. They pulled apart and Naruto's nose nuzzled against hers, causing Sakura to giggle. "Are you sure you don't want to know?"

Naruto pulled back from her and could see the willingness glowing in her eyes, she was ready to tell him if he asked her. Touching her face, Naruto brushed her pink hair behind her ears and sighed softly, "I think I already know," Naruto told her and Sakura blinked a few times. "It's because of me and what I did, I remember."

Sakura stared at him and frowned, she could see he felt guilty about it. Swallowing hard, Sakura placed her hands on either side of his face, making him look at her. She shook her head and said, "I still shouldn't have slept with Sai."

"We weren't together, it didn't matter," Naruto said and Sakura sighed softly.

"It did to me," Sakura told him, rubbing her thumb along his cheek. "Saying I was sad is no excuse."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone for the support, it means a great deal to me. Just so we're clear though, I never intended on stopping this story just cause a handful of people were bashing me. So what did you all think of this chapter, light-hearted humor, romance, regret? A lot was happening here, anyways, until next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Memories**

_"You sound jealous," Naruto laughed as he brought his beer bottle to his lips, taking a nice long swig. The pinkette beside him only scowled and waved the matter off. "You could just admit it." He leaned forward on the railing of the small balcony to the warehouse turned into a huge dance club. The music inside was pumping and the lights were flashing all over._

_ "You're drunk and being stupid, I'm just looking out for you," Sakura corrected, bring her martini glass to her lips. The blond boy next to her only snickered and waved the matter off. "Where are you going?" she inquired as he started walking away._

_ "Sakura look, I'm tired of this bullshit," Naruto growled, the scent of whiskey and beer heavy on his breath. Sakura flinched a bit and turned away in disappointment, but she refused to let Naruto see it. The blond sighed and shook his head, walking away when the pinkette didn't say anything to her. "And one more thing, I'm not your boyfriend, so stop treating me like I am."_

_ He was lost in the crowd after those hostile words. Sakura closed her eyes and shook her head, she knew he was drunk and saying things he probably didn't mean. Deep down inside though, Sakura knew that in someway Naruto really did think those things. She wasn't sure why she didn't say anything to him, maybe she was too tired to fight, maybe it was because she was drunk herself, either way those words hurt her._

_ Over the past few months Sakura had noticed something. She and Naruto were getting closer and it was this constant flirting and bickering between them. There was no telling why out of the blue she was feeling that way, but it was happening. Every day she liked Naruto a little bit more than the day before. For the longest time she had respected him and cared for him as a friend, but that respect had grown to love._

_ Sakura bit her lip and looked back into the crowd of people. Downing the last of her martini, the pinkette entered the mass crowd of people to find Naruto. She weaved through people, searching for the blond boy. Sakura wasn't sure what she was going to say to him, but she knew she had to say something._

_ Finally, Sakura spotted the blond across the way through a cluster of people. She tried to call out to him, but it was too loud for him to hear her. Sighing, Sakura climbed up onto the bar and walked towards his direction. She nearly slipped because the bar top was soaked with split booze. Many men were looking at her as she crossed and when she arrived to the other end, she casually jumped down._

_ "Naru-!" Sakura stopped when she saw him with his arms around another girl, making out with her as if it was no big deal. The pinkette stared in shock and felt strange seeing her best friend making out with someone else. Her green eyes finally looked away and she swallowed hard._

_ "Hey Sakura, come on Sasuke's agreed to play beer pong let's go!" Sai called out to her as he pushed through the crowd. He saw the bitter scowl on her face and put a hand on her shoulder. "You alright?" he asked, leaning forward to say it in her ear._

_ "Yeah, yeah," Sakura replied with a nod and weak smile. Sai smiled back at her and nodded taking hold of her hand to lead her back across the club where the tables were set-up. Glancing back over her shoulder, Sakura saw Naruto leading the girl away to the dance floor. That's when she decided if Naruto didn't care then neither would she._

* * *

"Naruto kissed me yesterday," Sakura said as she entered Ino's office at the Torture & Interrogation Unit. The blond who had been reading over some reports, put them down and looked up at Sakura.

"What?" Ino asked, not sure if she had heard her pink haired friendly correctly. The pinkette was beaming and her eyes were filled with stars. "You and Naruto? Seriously!" she asked, it was the best news she had in the past couple of days.

"Yes! I'm totally serious!" Sakura exclaimed, clasping her hands together.

"You have to tell me everything!" Ino demanded, jumping up from her chair. Sakura nodded, her smile not leaving her face even more a second. She couldn't believe how excited she was that she and Naruto had kissed, she never imagined it would be that perfect. "Come on, let's go!" Ino had stuffed all her paper work away and ran over to her friend, looping her arm through hers.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked with a small laugh.

"We're going to buy some wine and your going to tell me every little detail." Ino could see how happy Sakura was, she was practically glowing as they were walking down the hallway. "Well either Naruto is a fucking amazing kisser or you really love him," the blonde pointed out with a giggle just watching the jittery Sakura beside her. She had a little bounce in her step and she couldn't seem to stop smiling.

"Both," Sakura admitted and Ino squealed with excitement, she always knew that eventually Sakura would succumb to the feelings she'd been suppressing for so long. "It was amazing...and I can't stop smiling."

"I can see, you look like you slept with a hanger in your mouth," Ino laughed at her friend, who only smiled wider and sighed one of those lovey-dovey sighs. "What did I tell you? I knew you and Naruto would eventually happen. Despite everything you two have been through, you belong together." Ino waved her finger at her friend as they entered the shopping district of the village. Since it was a Saturday afternoon the entire place was bustling with people.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm so happy right now all the gloating in the world will not bring me down," Sakura said, waving Ino's smug look off.

* * *

_"You didn't have to come," Sakura said as she stood behind the curtain of the changing room. "You could have gone to train with Kakashi and Sasuke."_

_ "Don't lie, you know you wanted me to come," Naruto accused the pinkette, who was trying on different dresses to wear for Sasuke's party. He had just been reinstated last week and Naruto and Sakura had planned out a huge party to celebrate. The Uchiha hated the idea, but it was two against one. "I could see it." The blond was laying on a dark red modern looking couch with his hands resting behind his head, feet propped up on the armrest, and eyes closed._

_ "See what?" Sakura asked with a snort. "There was no look."_

_ "You're kidding right it was that 'Naruto please don't make me shop alone' twinkle in your eye," Naruto stated, turning to look over at the changing room curtain. Sakura stuck her head out of the curtain and looked completely shocked by his accusation. She didn't have a look like that, he was just making it all up. "And that's the 'Naruto stop lying or I'll kill you' look."_

_ "What do all my looks revolve around you?" Sakura questioned as she went back behind the curtain to finish slipping on the dress, unfortunately she couldn't get the zipper._

_ "I don't want to burst your bubble, but yes actually," Naruto joked and Sakura rolled her eyes before throwing the curtain aside._

_ "Zip me up," she said, turning her back to him and moving her hair out of the way. Naruto looked at the bare skin of her back and swallowed hard. Shaking his head, he rolled off the couch and walked over to the girl. Grabbing the zipper, Naruto gently pulled it up and stepped back. "Thank you." Sakura let her hair down and turned around, smiling up at him._

_ He nodded his head with a warm smile on his face. She walked over to the large mirror just opposite of where they were standing. Stepping up onto the platform, Sakura looked herself over in the mirror and smiled. The dress was simple, but hugged her body in all the right places. It was kohl black with pink petals at the hems, giving it just the right amount of glitz and glam. Her green eyes found Naruto, standing just a little ways behind her, admiring her in her dress. It made her blush, but thankfully it was very faint so the blond wouldn't catch it._

_ "What do you think? Do I look pretty?" she asked with a soft smile, staring at him in the mirror. His blue eyes met hers and he nodded firmly, telling her it suited her well. "Really? What about the other one?"_

_ "The gray one? No way, this one is much better," Naruto assured her with a thumbs up. The pinkette laughed lightly and turned around in her bare feet._

_ "You aren't just saying that so we can go are you?" Sakura asked her eyes watching him closely._

_ "Well yes, but seriously the dress is perfect for you," Naruto explained and Sakura nodded her head. He was about to say something again when the bells on the door of the shop rang and Ino's voice sounded off._

_ "We're back here, Ino!" Sakura called out and soon enough the platinum blonde girl came into view._

_ "Oh wow! That dress looks great on you!" Ino squealed, clasping her hands together. She greeted Naruto quickly and then turned her attention back to the pinkette. "You'll be turning heads at that party!" Ino exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. Sakura started laughing and Naruto just stared at them for a moment before rolling his eyes and venturing back over to the couch._

_ As he plopped down he watched as Sakura walked back over to the dressing room. Ino looked over at Naruto and sat down beside him. "Okay, I'm not too good at this heel stuff, so don't laugh if I fall," Sakura explained as she came walking out of the room in neon pink high heels, wobbling around like a new born deer. She had her arms out to the side to help keep her balance and after a couple of steps she found her confidence, letting her arms down._

_ She may have been just a tad overconfident though and ended up stumbling, falling face first towards the ground. Closing her eyes, Sakura braced herself for the hard strike of the ground, but instead she was met with a pair of strong arms pushing her back up. When she opened up her eyes, she looked into Naruto's eyes and he chuckled softly._

_ "Can you even dance in those?" Naruto asked her as he stepped back from her. He never let go of her arm though just in case she would tumble again. Ino looked at the two and smiled warmly, they just looked so adorable as Naruto helped Sakura walk around the dressing room area. The way Naruto held his hands out for her to hold onto in case she fell and the way Sakura was blushing as she wobbled about in the four inch heels._

_ "I still have a week to master this," Sakura told Naruto and he rolled his eyes, causing Sakura to give him a look._

_ "That's the 'Naruto you're walking on wafer thin ice' look," Naruto said, winking as Sakura scowled and tried to hit him. Only she ended up falling out of her heels and Naruto captured her in his arms, sweeping her off her feet. She looked stunned and a blush rose onto her cheeks. Licking her lips, Sakura looked up at Naruto and he too was blushing slightly. "And this look is the 'Naruto you're my hero' look." Sakura playfully hit the blond in the chest and he began laughing, still holding her in his arms as she pouted._

_ Ino watched with much intrigue, if she didn't know any better those two were flirting. Not only were they flirting, the chemistry and sparks between them were just lighting up the room. It was so sweet and innocent, something that Ino would read in a Nicholas Sparks novel. She smiled happily as she watched the two of them in the middle of the changing room area. As Naruto gently put her down, Ino saw that look in his eye, the look that said he was falling in love._

_ Ino knew as well as anyone that Naruto had always loved Sakura, but after the war he pushed those feelings away. He knew with Sasuke back in the village, Sakura would only pay attention to him. For a while she had, but after a little time Sakura's feelings faded. That's when it dawned on Ino, Sakura sparkling eyes, the flush on her cheeks, and her laugh, Sakura had feelings for Naruto._

* * *

Ino and Sakura found themselves in Sakura's apartment about an hour later. They were both sitting on the couch, drinking some red wine out of coffee cups. Sakura explained everything to Ino, her confession, what Naruto had told her, the way he touched her, and the way he pressed her up against the door. It was just all so romantic and surreal, but Sakura just kept replaying the events over and over in her mind.

"I never thought it would be Naruto," Sakura said, shaking her head with a small chuckle. "That annoying brat from the academy, who would have thought?" the pinkette wondered aloud as she took a sip of the wine from her coffee mug.

"At first never, but after the war...I think anything went," Ino explained with a shrug and Sakura looked at her, nodding slowly. "You obviously had feelings for Sasuke, but the way you hugged Naruto after he brought down the Ten-Tails...when you thought he was dead...I could see it, a love that rivaled your love for Sasuke."

Sakura remembered that moment so vividly in her mind, she had never ever been so scared in her life. When the smoke had cleared and Naruto's body fell onto the dusty wasteland, Sakura ran to him. She remembered falling by his side, screaming his name, tears pouring from her eyes, and fear engulfing her entire body. His chakra had been completely exhausted, he looked pale, he was dirty, sweaty, and beaten. Blood was sliding down from the corner of his mouth and Sakura thought for sure he was fading.

She had started healing him when people started coming around them. And despite everyone having been around them, Sakura told Naruto he wasn't allowed to die that he couldn't leave her, that she needed him and that he still had to become the Hokage. She could still feel his body going cold as the life was fading from him. Everything her medical training had taught her told her it was too late that he would surely die, but Sakura refused to give up. Even if there was only a one percent chance that he would make it, she would do everything in her power to save him.

Her tears had fallen onto his face as she was haunched over him, begging him to stay alive. Everything was silent around her, nothing else was there it was just her and Naruto on the battlefield. She was biting her lip so hard to hold back her sobs they began to bleed. Her hands were glowing green as she tried to heal his broken bones. She kept saying his name, over and over, begging him to live. It seemed like time had stopped and nothing was happening. She touched the side of his face and told him that she needed him, that without him life would be dull and boring. Every reason Naruto needed to live whether it was petty or serious, Sakura told it to him.

And finally after what seemed like hours of begging and sobbing, Naruto's eyes finally came open and a mighty roar of cheers and whistles erupted all around them. When those amazing, breathtaking blue eyes met her emerald green ones, Sakura felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. He slowly sat up and Sakura lunged at him, throwing her arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder. She had told him he was reckless, stupid, and a total knucklehead. He had winced as he tried to move, but he put his arms around her and held her tight, swearing he would never leave her.

"I thought I lost him," Sakura muttered and Ino looked to her friend sitting on the other end of the couch giving her a sympathetic smile. She knew exactly how Sakura felt, she had almost lost both Shikamaru and Chouji in that war, and the loss of her father had torn her apart. Neither one of them knew the pain of losing so many lives and after that war, they hoped and prayed to never lose that many comrades again.

"So what now?" Ino inquired.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"You both kissed, what next?"

"I haven't really thought about it, he's in a meeting with Lady Tsunade right now," Sakura explained to her friend, shrugging her shoulders. Honestly, she was telling the truth, she had no idea what would happen between Naruto and her. Anything could happen, they didn't say they were dating and all they did was make out on his couch, nothing was official. "I mean, we both confessed our feelings, but what do we do know?" Sakura asked, hoping her friend would give her some sound advice about romance and relationships.

"Well you both should go on a proper date," Ino said with a smile. "And when he brings you back to his apartment, use protection."

"Ino!" Sakura scowled, slapping a hand to her face. "Is sex all you think about?" the pinkette questioned with a roll of her green eyes. Ino only laughed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Sorry, but I know you're going to chunk all those rules about waiting," Ino stated, waving her hand in the air. "Who are we kidding, you've been in love with Naruto for two years...at least!" Ino accused and Sakura's mouth fell open, but she couldn't utter a single word.

"I hate it when you're right," Sakura blushed as she buried her head into one of the fuzzy throw pillows on her couch. Both girls started laughing and Sakura moved the pillow away. "I'm happy, Ino, I really am."

Ino smiled at her friend and sighed softly saying, "I know and I'm happy for you. Now we can double date!" She clapped her hands together in excitement and Sakura laughed and agreed.

* * *

"So you and Sakura, huh?" Sasuke asked as he and Naruto walked towards the training grounds. Naruto looked to his best friend, smiling proudly, nodding his head. "You kissed her?"

"Yeah," Naruto replied the sensation of Sakura's lips on his still jolting throughout his entire body. "It was better than I thought it would be."

"You still a virgin?"

"That's none of your business," Naruto grumbled and Sasuke only laughed.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone, thanks for the feedback on the last chapter, it is much appreciated and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I apologize for any typos/grammar errors. So I have this story broken into parts and we're almost through part one, there are three parts total, so we still have a ways to go. Thank you all again for the continued support! See you all in the next chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

**The Date Night**

The season of fall was upon the Hidden Leaf Village, while the Land of Fire normally had a nice temperate climate most of the year, during the fall and winter months chilly breezes always went through the trees. It had been a week since Naruto and Sakura had shared their first kiss and they hadn't had much time to see each other. Sakura had been busy at the hospital and Naruto had been bogged down with work that Tsunade had dumped on him. She claimed he would never learn to be a good Hokage unless he did some paperwork. Naruto thought she was just using it as a way to get out of doing her work so she could go gamble and drink around the village.

Thankfully Naruto had managed to slip away from Shizune and Shikamaru, who had been monitoring him. He found himself outside of the Leaf Hospital and strolled right inside. As he walked in, he looked around the lobby that had a few people sitting around and a few others pacing nervously. Naruto walked up to the front desk and the woman with dusty brown hair looked up at him. She smiled warmly and greeted him as he leaned on the desk.

"Is Sakura here?" Naruto asked.

"She's tending to a patient at the moment," the receptionist explained to him and Naruto nodded in understanding. "I'll let her know you're here though." She smiled and stood up, heading towards the double doors leading to the recovery wing. He thanked her and walked over to a row of gray chairs in the lobby and took a seat.

Naruto sighed softly and sank back into his seat. He was so tired of paperwork, all week Tsunade had given him piles of reports to go through as well as looking over up coming missions, census papers, and even students from the academy that would soon be graduating. Rubbing his tired eyes, Naruto stared up at the ceiling and wondered what it would be like when he was the real Hokage. The mere thought of all the paperwork made him cringe, but despite all of that Naruto still wanted to be the Hokage. Yawning the boy stretched his arms out, and sat back in an upright position.

"Naruto, Sakura says you can come back," the receptionist said as she came walking up. Smiling, Naruto got up and thanked the woman. "Of course, she's in room 213." Nodding, Naruto made his way down the hallway at a leisurely stroll, glancing into a few rooms as he went along. When he got up to the second floor he went to the left and spotted room 213.

Naruto stopped before the door and knocked announcing that he was coming in before pushing the door open. His blue eyes widened when he saw Sasuke standing opposite from the door, leaning against the window. Sasuke was the last person Naruto had intended on seeing when he walked into the room. The Uchiha looked back at Naruto and turned his attention back out the window.

"Sasuke? What are you doing here?" Naruto questioned as he stepped inside the room, shutting the door quietly behind himself. There was a white curtain blocking his view of the hospital bed, but he saw two shadows on the other side of it. As he walked over, Naruto poked his head around the curtain. "Hinata!" Naruto gasped when he saw the lovely Hyuga heiress sitting in the bed as Sakura wrapped her hands up in bandages.

"Oh, hello Naruto," Hinata greeted with a kind smile. The blond boy saw she was a little bruised up and glared over at Sasuke, who was ignoring him completely. "Oh don't get mad at him, this is my fault," Hinata quickly intervened before things could get out of control.

"Don't defend him, Hinata," Naruto grumbled, his eyes locked on Sasuke, who merely snorted. "You never did understand taking it easy," the blond said to Sasuke.

"You're one to talk," Sasuke shot back at Naruto, pushing off the window sill and going over to Hinata's bed. He sat down on the edge of it by her feet and looked over at her. "Hinata made a break through with a new jutsu she's been working on and it exhausted her chakra points in her hands, causing her to get some burn marks on her skin." He gestured to Sakura finishing up her bandaging job. Naruto raised an eyebrow and Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Oh...well, congratulations," Naruto said, smiling at Hinata who laughed lightly. Sakura stood up and looked over at Naruto, smiling at him. His blue eyes fell on her and he sighed softly. "Hi."

"Hey," Sakura greeted and cleared her throat, turning back to Sakura. "Well you're free to go, but no training for the next week. Okay, Sasuke don't even think about training with her." The pinkette waved her finger at Sasuke, who turned away and rolled his eyes. Hinata thanked Sakura and got up from the bed, looking at the casts wrapped around her hands.

"Well this is going to make doing a lot of things extremely difficult," Hinata laughed lightly, looking up at Sakura who gave her a sympathetic smile. With her hands completely wrapped up she wouldn't even be able to feed herself let alone shower or open doors. "Thank you, Sakura."

"You're welcome," Sakura chorused, turning her attention to Sasuke. "Since this is impart your fault, you can at least take her home." The pinkette eyed Sasuke, who stared right back at her and sighed, looking over at Hinata. She was about to protest, but Sasuke agreed that he would take her home. Naruto pursed his lips and cackled, but was silenced as Sasuke smacked him upside the head.

"Hey!" Naruto growled, clenching his fist.

"Come on, Hinata, I'll take you home," Sasuke offered, holding his hand out to her. She looked at him and tried to protest, but Sasuke simply put his arm around her waist and ushered her right out of the room. Sakura giggled a bit and Naruto blinked several times.

"I think he likes her," Sakura gossiped, turning her attention to the blond beside her. Naruto raised a brow and thought about it for a moment, tapping his chin. He just couldn't see someone as sweet and kind hearted as Hinata being with Sasuke, who was cold and bitter most of the time. "So what brings you here?" she asked him with a kind smile, scooting a little closer to him. Naruto smiled down at her and put his hands on her hips. She closed her eyes as Naruto leaned down and pressed his lips onto hers for a few short seconds.

"I have tomorrow night off and I was just thinking that maybe you should come over and we can eat and watch movies and cuddle on the couch, maybe make-out a little bit," Naruto whispered into her ear and Sakura giggled. She put her hands on his shoulders and got onto her tip toes kissing his lips quickly. Naruto didn't let her get away that easily and followed her, kissing back.

"Oh, I would love to, but I have to work tomorrow night," Sakura whined with a pouty lip.

"Nope, I got it all taken care of," Naruto began and Sakura furrowed he brows in confusion. "I asked Ino to take your shift." His blue eyes were glowing with excitement and Sakura looked at him completely taken by surprise.

"You can't ask her to do that," Sakura chided, playfully hitting him on the chest. Naruto stifled a laugh and placed his hand on her face. Shivers ran down her spine at his hand gently stroked her cheek.

"Sure I can, in return I gave Shikamaru three days off," Naruto explained and winked at her. The pinkette clicked her tongue and sighed softly. "So what do you say, nice candle lit dinner at my place at seven o'clock?" he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and Sakura smiled, nodding in agreement.

"Okay, but only if we don't eat any ramen," Sakura commanded, waving her finger at him. The blond was about to protest, but when Sakura sent that wicked glare of her green eyes, he sighed and concurred with her request. "Excellent, I'll see you at seven o'clock tomorrow night." She was about to go in for one more kiss goodbye, when the door slammed open. The pinkette and blond jumped away from each other, startled by the loud smack. When they looked at the door way, they saw an annoyed albeit intrigued Tsunade.

"NARUTO!" Tsunade barked and the blond flinched, about ready to charge right out the window behind him. "You still have work to do! Get back to the office right now!" The busty blonde growled, pointing to the Hokage Tower just outside the window. Laughing nervously, Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and nodded, vanishing into a puff of smoke.

"Lady Tsunade-"

"Making out on the job?" Tsunade inquired, raising a brow at her star pupil. Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but Tsunade silenced her by holding her hand up. Sighing softly, Sakura let her head fall between her shoulders and prepared for her master's wrath. "I'm so happy for you!" Tsunade exclaimed, suddenly engulfing the young medic in a bone-crushing hug.

"W-what?" Sakura stuttered in complete surprise. "Lady Tsunade, I'm confused."

"Naruto's been sighing all day," Tsunade explained as she pulled away from her apprentice and patted her shoulders. "Just staring into space not doing much of anything, I figured it had to because of you." The blonde with amber colored eyes smiled at Sakura and shook her head.

"We're not dating or anything," Sakura explained, shrugging her shoulders and Tsunade pursed her lips. "Just...testing the waters," the girl tried and Tsunade stifled a laugh.

"You're in love," Tsunade smiled and Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but soon realize there was no point. She sighed softly and started laughing, a faint pink flush coming onto her cheeks. Tsunade nodded her head and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "I'm happy for you, you two are meant for each other." Winking at her pupil, Tsunade walked out of the room and left Sakura alone with the biggest smile on her face.

* * *

"Don't you dare!" Sakura shrieked as Naruto was pointing the sink sprayer hose at her. She was armed with only a dish cloth and was backed into the corner of the kitchen. They had been having a little war while trying to make their pizza. The plan had originally been make the pizza and start watching a moving, but what was actually happening was throwing pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni at each other. Sakura was laughing and Naruto gave her this innocent smile, but she knew it was far from innocent. "Put it down." She gestured for him to put the sprayer down, but Naruto shook his head.

"Think of this as payback for staining my favorite shirt," Naruto replied, pointing to the huge red splotch on his white and orange striped polo shirt. The pinkette laughed nervously and started twisting the rag up, preparing to go in for another fight. Pressing the trigger on the spray, water soaked Sakura's yellow shirt and she squealed.

She jumped forward and knocked the sprayer out of Naruto's hands and popped him with her dish cloth. Naruto yelped and jumped away. Reaching for the sprayer, Sakura sprayed the water at Naruto, but ended up missing since he ran out of the kitchen. The floor was now all wet and Naruto poked his head around the wall. He started laughing and stuck his tongue out at her. Sakura rolled her eyes and tried to spray him again, but she missed him because he went back behind the wall.

"Hey you're getting my floor all wet!" Naruto whined as he saw the water on his wooden floor. When Sakura didn't say anything for a few seconds and Naruto didn't hear her, he cautiously looked around the corner. "Sakura?" he called, looking all around the kitchen, but didn't see her anywhere.

"Hey," Sakura whispered in his ear and he whirled around only to be met in the face by a puff of flour. He coughed and stumbled back, wiping the white flour off his face. Sakura started laughing loudly and hugged her sides as she bent over from laughing so hard. "That was perfect!" she said, wiping the tears that were forming in her eyes. When she looked back at Naruto, his arms were crossed over his chest and he was angrily tapping his foot on the ground, the flour still splattered on his face, making it even funnier.

"Okay, it's on now," Naruto grumbled, walking over to her. Sakura stopped laughing as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She squealed and kicked her feet in the air, but Naruto did not waver as he carried her down the hallway. "Apologize or you will suffer the consequences," Naruto warned her as he opened up his bathroom door.

"Never!" Sakura shouted, pounding on his strong back. He stepped into the tub and Sakura yelped as he brought her down and grabbed his shower head, turning on the water. "No! Stop it!" Sakura begged as she laughed as Naruto sprayed her in the face with the water. Grabbing onto the shower head the two fought over it, but Sakura was fairly strong so she managed to turn it towards Naruto. The tub floor was getting soaked and making it slippery, causing the two of them to slip and slide about until they both fell. Naruto fell first and Sakura squeaked as she fell on top of him the shower head falling out of the bathtub and spraying everyone in the bathroom.

"Ouch that hurt," Naruto groaned as he laid against the tub wall, rubbing his head which unfortunately hit the edge pretty hard. Sakura pushed off of him and turned around to turn off the water before it made an even bigger mess.

"I'm not cleaning this up by the way," Sakura said, pointing to the water that was all over the floor and cabinets. Naruto sighed and looked at the soaking wet girl on top of him. He smirked at her and put his hands on her hips, keeping her pinned on him. "What are you doing?" she asked him in a whisper.

"A wet lady is sitting on top of me, I'm making sure she doesn't go away," Naruto smirked at her and Sakura chuckled as he sat up. Their eyes locked and Sakura leaned forward slowly until she was inches from Naruto's face. He nuzzled his nose against hers and she smiled, closing her eyes as their lips met. His lips were so soft and warm. He was gentle and loving just as she always imagined he would be. As they pulled apart Naruto kissed the top of her head and gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand saying, "now will you help me clean up my apartment?"

"Well," Sakura breathed, slouching a bit. "I guess...I can lend a helping hand." She smiled at him and Naruto stifled a laugh, pecking her lips. Sakura carefully stood up and climbed out of the bathtub, her clothes clinging to her body since she was soaking wet. Naruto's clothes were clinging to his body too, so he pulled his shirt off and wrung the water from it. He noticed Sakura staring at his abs and he cleared his throat.

"Take a picture it last longer," Naruto told her and she blushed, looking away quickly, trying to play it off. The blond climbed out of the tub and stood right in front of Sakura, his body heat radiating onto her. She shivered a bit as his hands slowly went under her blouse and touched her soft skin. "What's wrong?" he asked her, his voice a little raspy.

"Nothing," she said sweetly and Naruto rolled his eyes. He swiftly moved, grabbing her legs and lifted her up, placing her on top of the counter of his. Sakura squeaked and laughed lightly as he rested his forehead against hers.

"You're a terrible lair," Naruto commented and Sakura shrugged her shoulders.

"This isn't exactly cleaning and I don't put out," Sakura whispered in Naruto's ear and he chuckled. "Unless they're my boyfriend that is." She pulled back and ran her fingers through his hair.

"You are about as subtle as a paper bomb," Naruto drawled, liking the feel of Sakura's hands running through his hair.

"You like it that way," Sakura sassed.

"Will you be my girlfriend, Sakura Haruno?" Naruto asked her with a sweet smile on his lips. The pink haired girl sitting on the counter in front of him tilted her head and beamed at him. She put her hands behind his neck and yanked him forward, causing his lips to crash onto hers.

They pulled apart seconds later and Sakura laughed lightly saying, "yes, I'll be your girlfriend." Naruto felt like he was about to explode, the girl he loved was now his girlfriend. Eight years he had been shamelessly in love with her, trying to win her affections and now it had finally happened.

"I finally got the girl," Naruto declared.

"Eight years later," Sakura joked and Naruto scowled, letting his head fall between his shoulders and Sakura laughed. When he looked back up she sighed softly and patted both sides of his face. "I love you." She kissed him and hopped down from the counter, telling him they had to start moping up the water, so that they could get cleaned up and cuddle on the couch to watch a movie.

* * *

"It's late, I should go home," Sakura yawned as she and Naruto were laying on the couch. They'd cleaned up his apartment, talked, changed into dry clothes, and watched a couple of movies. It was now fifteen minutes until one in the morning and while she was comfortable she had to go into work at ten tomorrow morning. "I have work tomorrow after all."

"Call in, I'll pay you," Naruto said, gently stroking her arm. She snuggled closer to him and sighed softly, she would love to do that. Unfortunately she couldn't call in they were still understaffed and she would feel really guilty.

"I can't do that," Sakura replied as she sat up and Naruto whined slightly. She chuckled at his pouty face and tapped his nose, standing up to her feet. "Are you going to walk me home?"

"Stay the night," Naruto offered and Sakura tilted her head.

"What? No," Sakura disagreed, shaking her head.

"Why not?" he questioned, sitting up on the couch. "Stay," he whispered into her ear as he stood up. His hot breath sent shivered up and down her spine.

"You're making this very difficult," Sakura responded as Naruto's lips hovered above hers. He pulled away, teasingly, making her follow him slightly. "Naruto." Grabbing her hips, Naruto pulled her forward, pressing her body against his and kissed her deeply.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for the feedback on last chapter, I appreciate it a great deal. Tell me what you thought about this chapter, please and thank you. We're about to get into the next arc of the story, it will be very exciting!


	10. Chapter 10

**The Birthday**

It was Naruto's 22nd birthday and to celebrate for the evening, he and Sakura, along with Shikamaru and Ino were going out for dinner. Sakura and Naruto had now been dating for three weeks and so far they have both been happier than ever. Everyone in the village noticed the glow in Sakura's eyes and the bounce in Naruto's step. They were there, in that place that was fresh and new and exciting. The village chattered all about them the first week they were dating and made it public knowledge. The general consensus around the village was that it was about time those two admitted their love to one another.

"What is taking so long?" Naruto grumbled as he sat on the couch with Shikamaru. The lazy shinobi sitting at the other end of the gray colored couch only laughed, Naruto was still new to this whole dating thing. At the moment the two young men were in Ino and Shikamaru's apartment, waiting for the girls to finish getting ready. "It's almost eight, our reservation was at 7:30." Naruto was looking at the clock on the wall and let his head fall back in annoyance.

"Oh it only gets worse from here," Shikamaru commented and Naruto looked at his genius friend, scrunching up his nose in disapproval. "Sometimes they do this just because they know they can." He shifted on the couch to get more comfortable, placing one of Ino's plush purple pillows on his lap.

"Well next time if they could give me the schedule beforehand that would be great," Naruto snorted, resting his elbow on the arm rest. "And Sakura is always about being on time." The blond ran his fingers through his hair and sighed softly, he was on the last thread of his patience. It was his birthday and he was starving and he just wanted to spend time with Sakura. They had both been pretty busy lately, he had just got back from a mission a couple days ago and Sakura was working over time in the hospital because one of the doctors was on maternity leave. This was the first time they'd be able to spend more than ten minutes with each other in two weeks.

"Let me tell you, it's usually worth the wait," Shikamaru explained, fiddling with a lighter. He flicked the top open and closed and stuck it back into the pocket of his brown leather jacket. Naruto hoped Shikamaru was right because had he known the girls were going to take an extra forty minutes, he would have eaten before hand. "Unfortunately this is just how women operate and it's better just to sit back and enjoy the couch." Shikamaru put his arms up on the back of the couch and sunk into the cushions, making himself as comfortable as possible.

"So what happens if we try to rush them?" Naruto asked curiously as his stomach growled.

"Well Ino hurries, but she makes me pay for it later," Shikamaru replied with a shrug, causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow at him. "And I don't like how she's mean to me later, so I tend not to rush her. If we stay home, we stay home." The lazy boy yawned and rested his cheek against his knuckles, staring at the butterfly painting on the wall across from them.

"Sexually?" Naruto inquired and Shikamaru just started chuckling.

"You could say that," Shikamaru responded and Naruto's eyes widened. "Ino is very good at being a tease." He shook his head and sighed dejectedly. Naruto didn't know if he should tread further and ask what she did or if he should just stop and forget about it.

Well like he was just going to forget. "What do you mean?" Naruto asked sheepishly and Shikamaru looked at him with knitted brows. He always figured Naruto would have had experience in girls, but he was slowly starting to realize Naruto was still learning. Licking his lips, Shikamaru looked down at the floor and stifled a laugh. He wasn't sure how to explain it to Naruto and another part of him didn't want to because Ino was his girlfriend, plus it would be fun to see Naruto all clueless.

"You're a virgin aren't you?" Shikamaru asked, eyeing Naruto who shifted a bit uncomfortably before stiffly nodding his head. The hazel eyed boy snickered and shook his head, it wasn't right for him to laugh after all before Ino he was too. "Just...just know it's worth waiting."

"Okay we're ready," Ino announced as she walked into the living room with a bright smile on her face. Naruto and Shikamaru both remained on the couch as the blonde came sweeping into the room wearing a simple black dress with a purple overcoat and matching scarf. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor and she looked at Shikamaru, who stood up. "Sorry that it took so long, Sakura didn't like what she had on." Ino and Shikamaru kissed and Naruto got up when he heard footsteps coming down the hallway.

Naruto's eyes fell upon Sakura as she walked around the couple and he smiled warmly. Shikamaru was right, it was definitely worth the wait, she sure looked pretty in her plaid skirt and stocking with a simple white blouse. She pulled on her pink coat and looked at Naruto as he gazed at her. Biting her lip, Sakura walked over to him as she put on a white knitted beanie. "Do I look alright?" she asked with a smile.

"You look fantastic," Naruto assured her as he stole away a quick kiss. "Now, let's go eat and celebrate already! I only turn twenty-two once, ya know?"

"You only turn every age once, Naruto," Sakura retorted with a roll of her eyes.

"Well I ain't getting any younger," Naruto shot back and Sakura sighed, shaking her head as she looped her arm through his. He kissed her temple and dragged her along to the door with Shikamaru and Ino following close behind. The sooner they had dinner and a few drinks the sooner he could have Sakura all to himself and that was all he really wanted.

* * *

"Thanks for paying for everything, Shikamaru," Sakura said as she hugged Shikamaru.

"Yeah well, my wallet's been broken since I started dating Ino," he replied as they pulled apart and Ino playfully slapped him in the chest. Laughing lightly, Shikamaru put his arm around the girl's slender shoulder and pulled her into him. "Happy birthday Naruto, see you on Monday for the meeting. Enjoy your days off."

"Thanks for everything," Naruto said as he and Shikamaru shook hands. "Ready to go?" Naruto asked his girlfriend, who was holding onto his hand. She looked at him her green eyes sparkling and she nodded once.

"Bye guys!" Ino called out as Shikamaru pulled her in the direction of their apartment. The two disappeared behind the corner and Naruto tugged on Sakura's hand, leading her in the direction of his apartment. She was off all day tomorrow and he didn't plan on letting her go anywhere at all, they would spend the entire day being lazy in his apartment.

"So are you enjoying your birthday?" Sakura asked as she and Naruto walked down the street, the candle lit lamppost guiding their way. He nodded his head and said he was having a great time, which made Sakura smile. "I'm glad, so what are we going to be doing when we get to your apartment?"

"Not sure yet," Naruto responded as they continued their leisurely stroll across the park, which was a short cut to Naruto's apartment. "Is there something you would like to do?" he inquires, letting go of her hand to drape his arm over her. She smiles and reaches for his hand, locking their fingers together.

"Oh I'm sure I can think of something," Sakura uttered a small flush on her cheeks. Naruto looked at her through the corner of his eye and smirked a bit. "Something that revolves around getting this shoes off, cause my feet are killing me." Sakura gestured to her knee high lace up heeled leather boots.

"If they are so uncomfortable to wear, why did you wear them?" Naruto asked, looking at her boots. They were sexy on her, but they also looked very expensive.

"Well I paid a lot for them, so it only seems right," Sakura explained as they stopped walking when they were crossing a bridge. They both stood in the middle and Sakura grabbed onto the railing. "They really hurt though."

"Why buy shoes that make you that uncomfortable?" Naruto questioned, granted he knew he'd never understand the inner workings of the female mind. For as long as he'd known Sakura, he never understood some of the things she did...sometimes he felt that she didn't either though. The pinkette looked a bit bashful all of the sudden and Naruto raised a brow in confusion. "What?"

"The lady at the store had this 'oh you can't afford these' so I bought them, okay?" Sakura grumbled and Naruto blinked a few times. Yeah, he was certain he'd never understand the inner workings of a woman's mind. "And they are practical, they go with everything!"

"Okay," Naruto chortled and Sakura sighed dejectedly. "So how much were they that the lady would give you a look, making you assume she believed you couldn't afford them?" he curiously asked, almost wary to hear the number.

"Uh...well...about...10,000 ryo."

"WHAT!" Naruto exclaimed looking down at the boots on Sakura's feet. "What are they made out of panda or something?" the blond was laughing and Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, looking completely unamused.

"I'm not proud of it," Sakura grumbled and Naruto stopped laughing. He gave her a small smile and walked closer to her, scooping her up into his arms. She gasped and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "What are you doing?" she asked as he hoped up onto the rail of the bridge.

"We have to soak your poor aching feet in those panda shoes of yours," Naruto said and leaped towards a nearby tree, darting for his apartment. "Maybe if I'm feeling frisky enough I'll even give you a foot massage."

* * *

A couple hours later Sakura was laying on Naruto's couch with her head resting on his lap. She was tracing his fingers with her own while her eyes were closed. Naruto watched her closely and bit his lip. All night he had been feeling this urge to kiss her, touch her, and well he wanted to sleep with her. He wanted to do it, he really did. Sakura was always the girl he thought he'd loose it too, she was so beautiful and smart. Naruto just wasn't sure how to go about it, he felt nervous and awkward just thinking about it. Sure he'd seen her naked a couple of times, but both times were accidental and it was only for a few seconds.

If he had sex with her tonight, she'd be naked, he'd be naked, they would be touching, and kissing, and he started to feel clammy. Sakura noticed that he was tensing up beneath her, so she opened up her eyes and looked up at him. He was staring off into space, looking completely lost and confused. His eyes had a storm raging within them, it was beautiful and it rattled her. With her free hand, Sakura slowly reached up to his face and gently brushed her finger tips along his strong jawline. Naruto flinched at her touch and snapped out of his stormy gaze, looking down at her. She smiled at him and gave him a questioning look. Neither one had to say anything they just knew what the other was thinking. After having been teammates for so long, they just had this sense.

Naruto reached for her hand, gently holding onto it. He wasn't sure whether he should ask her if she wanted to, or maybe he should just go for it. The look in her eyes was curious and playful, maybe she wanted to also. It was his birthday and what would be a better present that to sleep with his girlfriend for the first time. He didn't even know how to start though, it was making him tense and squirmy. Sakura tilted her head and blinked a few times, confused by his actions. Naruto looked at her soft and supple lips, he just wanted to kiss her.

He thought maybe he could kiss her, carry her to his bedroom, lay her on his bed, slowly take off her clothes, and...he had no idea. Sakura was a young woman, what if she didn't want too? Biting his lip, Naruto debated on what he should do that he didn't even notice Sakura was sitting up and staring at him, inches from his face. Their eyes locked and Sakura laughed at his bewildered stare as he backed away. She wasn't sure why he was being so jumpy and squirmy all of the sudden, but it was funny to see him that way.

Naruto Uzumaki the most unpredictable ninja, hero of the shinobi world, savior of the Hidden Leaf Village, and he was completely nervous and tongue-tied. The boy who laughed at the face of danger and recklessly charged into an inferno was acting baffled.

"Naruto?" Sakura called him from his thoughts and he looked at her, swallowing hard. "What's wrong?"

"I...I don't know," Naruto lied and Sakura's brows knitted together. She'd never seen Naruto so nervous before it was interesting. He was being mousy and suddenly got up from the couch, causing Sakura to sit back and stare at him. "I mean...you look...and I want...it's all very confusing." He wandered off and Sakura wasn't sure what he was trying to say at all.

Naruto wasn't even sure what he had just babbled about to her either, he felt like an idiot. Rubbing the back of his neck, Naruto thought maybe another beer or shot or maybe a glass of wine would make him braver. He heard Sakura's feet padding on the wooden floor and he turned around to look at her. She was staring at him with pursed lips and he smiled weakly. Walking over to him, Sakura put her hand on his face and made him look at her.

"Naruto talk to me," Sakura said and moved her hand from his face.

"Okay here's the thing," Naruto began and Sakura nodded her head to encourage him to continue, "I like you and you like me, but there's rules and stuff and I don't know, so really it's just, well you know..." Naruto trailed off, leaving Sakura completely confused.

"No...I really don't," she chuckled. "What are you trying to say Naruto?"

He remained silent and looked flustered.

"Do you want to write it down?" she asked him with a soft smile.

"Yeah," Naruto answered in a squeaky voice, nodding his head quickly. "Sure, why not?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders as he went over to his junk drawer and pulled out a notepad and a pen. When the tip of the pin touched the paper though, he began to hesitate and started to tremble a bit. Sakura was starting to get worried, he was turning red and seemed a little feverish all of the sudden.

"Do you want some water?" she asked him and he shook his head. Licking his lips, Naruto scribbled something down, ripped the paper out of the notepad, folded it, and handed it to Sakura. She gingerly took the paper and unfolded it, looking at the black ink he had put onto the lined paper. Her eyes widened as she saw what he had written and suddenly the reason he was acting all goofy made perfect sense.

**_Sex?_**

She smiled as she read the word over and over before looking up at the blond boy, who was fidgeting in front of her. Putting the paper down on the counter, Sakura walked over to Naruto and took both his hands in hers. She gave his hands a gentle squeeze and told him to take a few breaths. It was obvious he was freaking out, he was read, clammy, and jittery.

Naruto was completely dumbfounded, he couldn't believe he had just written that word down on a piece of paper and handed it to Sakura. All of the sudden he wanted to go hide away in his closet. He was kicking himself, he should have just been all nonchalant and said, 'Sakura I want to have sex with you', but he chickened out and wrote it down.

Like a total loser. He prayed Sakura wouldn't tell Ino, who would tell Shikamaru, who would tell Kiba, and by then the whole village would know. Naruto ran his fingers through his hair, he would be the laughingstock of the whole village and that would just be awful.

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped her fingers in front of his face and he flinched, coming back to reality, leaving his thoughts for the hundredth time in those couple of hours. "Is this why you've been acting all weird?" she asked, nodding towards the paper. He noticed she was still holding his hands and sighed softly, nodding his head sheepishly.

"I'm a virgin remember...I don't know how to...do this," he explained, gesturing between the two.

"Oh well honey, what about your first kiss, how did you figure that out?" Sakura asked.

"With Sasuke...that was not my intention," Naruto responded and Sakura slapped a hand onto her face. "With the first girl though...well, it just sort of happened." He shrugged his shoulders and Sakura smiled at him. She thought it was the most precious thing that he was so nervous.

"And that's how sex works," Sakura explained and Naruto took in a sharp breath. "Just do what comes naturally." She smiled at him and let go of his hands, waiting for him to do or say anything, but he just stood there. Staring at her like a hopeless and lost puppy out in the rain.

"So I don't need moves or whatever?" he asked.

"No, of course not," Sakura laughed lightly.

"And you want to do this?" He cocked his head to the side and Sakura nodded once. Naruto was suppressed, he didn't think it would be so simple. He figured Sakura would want to wait, but he wasn't about to start complaining now. "Okay..." Naruto breathed, swallowing hard. He had no idea what to do next as Sakura was standing there in the middle of his kitchen wearing one of his t-shirts that seemed more like a dress since it came to her mid thigh, her socks, and panties.

"Here, I'll make this easier," Sakura started as she reached for the bottom of the white t-shirt she was wearing. Naruto watched her closely as she slowly pulled the shirt up and dropped it onto the floor beside her. The air in his throat got caught and his mouth went dry as he stared at her slender figure, wearing only pastel pink panties and a matching bra. She stared at him for a moment and slowly reached back to unhook her bra, but Naruto came forward and pulled her hand down. "What's wrong?" she asked, barely above a whisper as she looked into his eyes.

Naruto had never done anything like this, he wanted to do it right though. Pressing his lips together in a firm line, Naruto pulled off his own t-shirt and let it fall onto the ground. He remained only in his black shorts, which hung on his hips loosely. Sakura smiled warmly at him and closed the gap between them, her soft petal like skin brushing against his own. It was warm and supple and it made his skin crawl. Licking his lips, Naruto shivered as Sakura's hand slowly traced the outlines of his abs up to his chest and onto his broad shoulders. He panted as she placed gentle kissed on his collarbone, which caused his hands to clench at his sides.

Sakura played with Naruto's hair as she trailed gentle kissed on his warm skin. Naruto took Sakura's advice and did what came naturally to him. Relaxing his body, he gripped Sakura's hips and pulled her closer to him, it was like she just couldn't be close enough to him. She squeaked a bit at his roughness, but that roughness quickly went away as his hands gently went up her sides. Sakura moaned softly and Naruto smirked, lowering his head towards her. Their lips gently pressed together and Naruto unclasped Sakura's bra.

They pulled apart and Sakura let her bra fall to the floor. She stared up at Naruto breathlessly and he stared right back at her. He smiled and leaned down, kissing along her jawline to her neck and down to her collarbone. Sakura let her head fall back and went weak in the knees from Naruto breath against her bare skin. He lifted his head and looked at her face, not once looking to her exposed breast. Naruto was still nervous, his movements were hesitant, and he wasn't sure if he was doing things right. Sakura seemed to be enjoying it though, so he continued to go with it.

"Would you like to go to the bedroom?" Naruto asked her in a low voice, it was raspy and warm. She nodded her head and yelped when Naruto threw her over his shoulder. Sakura started laughing as he carried her down the hallway and brought her into his bedroom. "Sakura if I do anything wrong, you'll tell me right?" he asked nervously as they entered the bedroom.

"You're doing fine," Sakura said softly, "just relax and do what feels right, if it doesn't feel right it's probably not." Naruto gently put her down on the bed and looked down at her. His eyes taking in all of her. She was beautiful in the dim glow coming in from the window and open door behind them. Her hair was splayed out, her breast supple and the perfect size, her green eyes glittering with excitement, and her lips curved into a gentle smile.

She sat up and reached for the top of his shorts. Naruto started trembling a bit both with excitement and nervousness. He didn't think he'd be clamming up this much, but he was. Swallowing hard, Naruto let out a breath when he felt Sakura's gentle fingers move against his hip bone. She smiled as his breath wavered and carefully pulled his shorts and boxers down, leaving him completely naked. Vulnerable.

Her green eyes were locked with his though, she never looked away not even for a second. Naruto decided to go with his gut and do what he felt was right. If he hurt Sakura or did something wrong, he knew she would say something. Taking in a sharp breath, Naruto pushed Sakura back down and she easily complied as he stood over her. His blue eyes tracing the curves of her fingers, drinking her in as if she was the most precious source of life. Naruto could feel his erection throbbing, he wanted to go into her, but something inside told him to go slow.

"It's okay," Sakura whispered and he nodded slowly, relaxing a bit. Every time she spoke it made him feel a little bit more at ease. He reached for her pink lace panties and gently stripped them off, letting to fall to the floor with his own clothes. Now they were both naked, completely bare and exposed to one another. "Don't be tense," she told him and he nodded once more, pressing his lips into a firm line.

Sakura casually moved her hand to the tip of his penis, making him shiver. Her fingers were cold and felt like silk as she gently massaged the tip. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back, enjoying the feeling, the electricity she was sending throughout his body.

Naruto took in a breath and groaned as she wrapped her hand fully around him, gently moving up and down. It was a firm hold just enough pressure to make him growl. Sakura smirked up at him and he decided it was only right that he go in too. Lowering him self down, Naruto's hand rubbed against the smooth skin of her inner thigh. She let out a breath and Naruto looked up at her as her head arched back onto the bed. Her grip on his erection was a bit firmer and caused him quake. He never imagined it would feel so good for her to just touch him as she was.

Naruto's fingers hesitantly moved towards her lower center. He could feel her heat radiating from her inner depths. When his fingers for her folds, Sakura moaned softly and Naruto gently touched her. Her body shuddered and Naruto felt a bit more confident in himself, moving a little faster. He located her clitoris and rubbed it, earning Sakura to moan louder than before. She started to close her legs, but Naruto used his free hand to push them open once again. Sakura let go of his erection and gripped the sheets of his bed tightly as he moved faster against her. The way she squirmed and the way her body shudder made Naruto feel proud. He slowly moved away from her clitoris and found the moisture of her folds. The warmth of her, the silkiness of her skin, it was just so amazing.

"Naruto," Sakura moaned his name and he felt a smile come onto his face. The way she said his name in a moan of pleasure made him feel incredible. His finger tips traced her outer folds and Sakura bit her lip to hold in her cry of pleasure. Carefully and teasingly, Naruto moved his fingers towards her depths. He started to feel a little nervous again, he was unsure of what Sakura could handle. "Do it, Naruto, don't be afraid," she whispered, her green eyes gazing up at him.

"You want this?" he asked softly and Sakura nodded her head. He moved in deeper with two fingers, which caused Sakura to arch her back in pleasure. "How's that?" he asked, rubbing her inner walls that were soft, moist, and warm. Never did he imagine that the way Sakura squirmed and the way she felt would bring him so much pleasure, his senses were fully alert. Every move, every sound, it had Naruto close to a frenzy.

His thumb rested on her pulsing clitoris and his fingers gently pumped into her. Sakura was about to lose any self-control, she was about to completely give in. Naruto pulled out of her and crawled over his, his body hovering inches from hers. She looked up at him and cupped his face, lifting her lips up to his. Wanting to be a bit more adventurous, Naruto kept his lips on hers, but hand his hands travel down to her breast.

Her nipples were hard. He gently stroked them, massaging, and squeezing her breast. Sakura moaned and broke the kiss letting her head arch back. Naruto scooted up, capturing her lips once again, biting her lower lip. She put her hands on his back and clawed at his back. He growled in pleasure, a deep throaty growl that made her smirk. His blue eyes locked with her green ones and they kissed again. His erection was throbbing, he needed to do something about it.

As if Sakura had read his mind, her hand grasped it gently. He moaned against her lips and felt her tensing up. The next thing he knew, she'd rolled him over so that she was on top of him, straddling him down to the bed. He panted as they broke apart, her pink hair framing her face and a few strands fell into her eyes. She smiled at him and lowered herself towards his lips, kissing him softly. Sakura slowly inched down his chin, neck, collar bone, chest, hips, and finally he felt her warm breath on his erection. He trembled, he never knew such a delicious pleasure before.

That was a lie, the moment her mouth was on his erection he moaned loudly, breathing her name. The feeling of her mouth on him, the way she moved her tongue, sucking on him, it drove him insane. He gripped his sheets, doing everything in his power to not grab her and spread her legs, so he could thrust into her repeatedly. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine this moment would be so good.

"Sakura...oh..." Naruto uttered out as she sucked on him, running her tongue over the head of his penis. "Shit..." he cursed, biting his lip as the pleasure was building inside of him. If he didn't stop her, she'd have a mess on her. Sitting up, Naruto pulled her away and rolled her beneath him. He was trembling above her, the pleasurable feeling still jolting through ever nerve ending of his body.

Panting, Naruto quickly moved down and parted her legs. He was hesitant, swallowing, Naruto's blue eyes stared at Sakura warm, moist area. Licking his lips, Naruto slowly moved forward and licked her softly. She moaned and Naruto did it again, tasting her. He heard the sound of her slamming her hand down onto the sheets, she arched her back and squirmed with every flick of his tongue. Naruto continued to lick her and taste her for a few more moments before he pulled away.

"Come here," she breathed and Naruto crawled up to her. The head of his penis was pressed against her folds. He growled deeply when Sakura's hand grasped it and positioned it in front of her entry. She stared into his eyes and Naruto nodded his head, slowly moving forward. Sakura let out a breath when the tip was in and let go of his smooth, hard member. "Slowly," she whispered as he kissed her neck and pushed into her.

"Damn, Sakura," Naruto groaned as he moved in and out of her. The warmth of her walls tightly wrapping around him, pulsing ever so slightly. It made him shiver, the way she felt, the heat, the passion, the taste, it was all so very good. "This feels...amazing," he choked out as he started to move faster, breathing in the sweet scent of her strawberry shampoo. Sakura moved with him, causing Naruto to moan.

"Faster, Naruto," Sakura whispered into his ear, nibbling on it. He did as she commanded and Sakura's head fell back as she let out a cry of pleasure. "Naruto!" she moaned and he quickly turned her to face him, capturing her lips to keep her cries muffled. The last thing either of them needed was for his whole complex to hear them making love.

"Is this...alright...am I doing good?" Naruto asked huskily as he pulled away from her. He paused for a moment and Sakura's green eyes gazed into his. She lifted her head and put her lips onto his, nodding her head in compliance. He smirked as thrust into her, more insistent. The intensity was building inside of him, he could feel himself getting wound up so tight. Sakura clawed at his back and screamed out his name as he moved faster and deeper than he was moments ago. She bit his shoulder, causing him to growl in pleasure.

"Naruto I'm about-" Sakura stopped. The moment happened, she was floating the wave of pleasure surged throughout her body. The tension was go, her muscles completely relaxed, the sensation trickling through her nerves.

Naruto shivered just before he collapsed onto of Sakura, panting heavily. Slowly he lifted his head and looked down at her. The feeling was so real and raw and delicious. It was sweet and bitter all at the same time, it felt unbelievable, he wasn't even sure how to describe it. Naruto looked into her eyes and smiled, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. She gently stroked his cheek and nodded to him, he did good.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well everyone, what did you think of this chapter? Originally this was going to be longer, but I decided to make the ending half a whole other chapter since this one is already fairly long. Anyways, since I am not a guy, I have no idea what runs through their heads the first time they have sex, but hey I tried and I hope that I did a good job, if not...well I'm sorry haha, but alas I'm a woman. In any case, I hope this chapter was worth the wait and I'll have a new one up very soon.

Thank you all so much for the support I really appreciate it! There is never an end to the excitement of getting a review on this story! Lots of love, you awesome readers! Goodnight, good morning, good day, where ever you are in the world! Take care!


	11. Chapter 11

**The Morning After**

Sakura yawned and rolled onto her side, the rays of the sun landing on her face. Her eyes squinted open and she rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling for a few moments. The fan blades spun round and round as she tried to remember what had happened last night. Gasping, Sakura put a hand to her mouth and looked to her left, but found that the spot was empty. Frowning, Sakura sat up slowly and looked around the room. It had finally happened, she and Naruto had sex. Running her fingers through her hair, Sakura let out a breath and started recalling everything that happened. It was no dream, it truly happened, they kissed, touched each other, and made love.

A smile tugged on Sakura's lips and she pulled the sheets off of her body. She was completely naked, but didn't really mind. There was no reason for her to be self-conscious no one was around anyways. Swing her legs off the bed, Sakura tip-toed over to Naruto's dresser and grabbed a flannel shirt from one of the drawers. Slipping on his orange and gray plaid flannel button down, Sakura buttoned it up and ventured across the hall to the bathroom.

Turning on the light, Sakura looked at herself in the mirror and gaped. Her hair was a complete and total mess, she looked like she had some sort of poodle on her head. Laughing lightly, the green eyed girl turned on the water and wet her hands, trying to tame her obnoxious locks. As she was doing that she gasped when she spotted a love bite on the base of her neck. Smiling, Sakura gingerly put her fingers on it and shook her head.

Naruto had been so nervous last night and the truth was, Sakura was freaking out the whole time too. She wasn't even sure how she managed to get through it all. Her body had trembled ever so slightly when she had pulled off the t-shirt she was wearing, but Naruto didn't seem to notice. Then again how could he when a girl was practically naked in the middle of his kitchen. Not to mention he was nervous, so he was probably too wound up to notice how jittery she was. Sighing softly, Sakura grabbed some mouth wash that was resting on the counter and poured some into her mouth, swishing accordingly.

For so long -nearly two years- Sakura had been slowly falling in love with Naruto and last night she did the one thing she had been wanting for several months. She mustered up every ounce of courage she had to keep calm last night. When he was touching her, her wildest dreams were finally coming true and she melted into it. Everything she wanted to do to him, she did forgetting about being nervous. They were both basically inexperienced anyways, so she just went with what felt right, just as she had told Naruto.

_Where is he anyways? Maybe I scared him off...no that can't be right he held me all night, _Sakura thought just before spitting the mouth wash out. "Naruto?" Sakura called out and waited, but she heard nothing. Becoming a bit nervous, Sakura walked out of the bathroom and ventured to the kitchen and living room area. He was nowhere to be seen and she noticed that his keys were missing and the door was locked. _Maybe he went to get breakfast or something._

Just as she was about to go into the kitchen to get something to drink, the lock on the door came undone. She stood still and watched the door with wide, curious eyes as it slowly came open.

"Oh you're up, I was hoping you'd still be asleep when I got back," Naruto smiled at her as he walked in and held a white box in his hands with a cup holder on top of it containing two styrofoam cups. "I went to get some breakfast, come on."

"Aw thanks, that's so sweet," Sakura cooed as Naruto walked back towards the bedroom. "Don't you want to eat in the kitchen?" she asked, pointing to the empty table.

"Nope, I want breakfast in bed with you." Naruto wandered into his bedroom and Sakura laughed lightly. She followed after him and saw him crawling on the bed, putting the two cups of what she assumed to be coffee from the bittersweet aroma on the bedside table. His blue eyes fell upon her as she stood in the doorway with a bashful smile on her face. "Nice shirt," he smirked and Sakura looked down at the shirt, fiddling with the long sleeves.

"Oh some guy just gave it to me," she joked, waving it off and Naruto snickered as she walked over and crawled onto the bed. Plopping down beside, the pinkette folded her legs in and sat across from Naruto. He put the box down in between them and opened it up. "What did you get me?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh was I supposed to get you something?" Naruto questioned with a tilt of his head. The girl lips twisted a bit and she scrunched up her nose. She was starving and the food smelled delicious. "I'm just kidding, I brought you something. Oh and you won't believe who I saw down there."

"Who?" Sakura asked curiously. Naruto reached into the box and pulled out a frosted cinnamon roll that was still hot and steaming. Her mouth watered and her eyes glittered it looked so good. "Whoa! Where do you get these?" The cinnamon roll was huge and it smelled sweet and the frosting looked so creamy.

"Right down the street, little hole in the wall place," Naruto explained as he handed it to Sakura along with a napkin. It was sticky and gooey and so moist, she was ready to dig in. "Anyways, guess who I saw, just take a wild guess." Naruto grabbed a cinnamon roll for himself and ripped off a piece, tossing it into his mouth.

Sakura thought for a moment and took a small bite out of her cinnamon roll. It could have been anyone really, but she decided to go for someone least expected. "Well in a place like a bakery I would assume Sasuke would be the last person you'd see so was it Sasuke?" Sakura asked, looking into Naruto's eyes.

He nodded and started smirking, which made Sakura tilt her head in confusion. "And..." he began, gesturing with his hands for her to say someone else.

"He was with someone?" Sakura was surprised to find that out. Saturday was Sasuke one and only day off and normally he spent it in complete solitude. That's when it dawned on her and she gasped and pointed at Naruto, who started nodding his head. "Hinata!"

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed and Sakura started laughing.

"No way, aw that's sweet, that's cute...they're cute," Sakura gushed.

"We're cute," Naruto corrected and Sakura giggled, agreeing with his statement. He sighed softly and took a bite from his cinnamon roll. "So last night..." Naruto trailed and Sakura bit her lip, picking at the cinnamon roll in her hands. She sucked the frosting off of her fingers and avoided Naruto's eyes. "Um, I know that I have nothing to compare it too, but I thought it was awesome." He let out a laugh and Sakura looked up into his eyes.

"Really? I had no idea what I was doing and was so nervous," Sakura explained and Naruto gave her a bewildered look, he thought she was very calm and collected. "I mean...I read a lot of magazines about what to do, seen a few movies, and you know about my erotic novels, but I still feel very inexperienced even though I have slept with one other person." She shrugged her shoulders and put a piece of the soft sweet bread into her mouth.

"I didn't notice," Naruto admitted truthfully. "I thought you were very bold and sexy and confident." He stared at her and saw the blush forming on her cheeks. She was obviously becoming a bit self-conscious and Naruto couldn't understand why.

"I'm not though," Sakura squeaked, her cheeks a bright red. Naruto started laughing, last night she was the confident one and he was the mess, but the roles were reversed now. "I guess...I really wanted to have sex with you." She bit her lip and looked at him through her thick curly eyelashes.

Naruto gave her a soft smile. "Don't be shy, Sakura," he said gently. "All that matters is that we enjoyed it...did you enjoy it?"

"Last night was one of the best nights of my life," Sakura assured him, placing her hand on his bent knee. "You were solid...I was thoroughly impressed, not as good as my book, but you know good," she poked and Naruto's smile quickly faded.

"Your comparing me to a book, that hurts a little," Naruto huffed as he stuffed the last of the bread into his mouth. He swallowed and moved the empty box aside, placing it by their coffee cups. "Well if we're being honest here, if I were to compare you to your porn novel," Sakura scoffed and shook her head at his insistent need to call it a porn novel, that made it sound so much worst than what it was. "I would say you were just...okay." He shrugged and Sakura's jaw dropped.

"What!" she shrieked, grabbing one of the pillows and hitting him with it. Naruto blocked it with his arm and started laughing. Stuffing the rest of the cinnamon roll into her mouth, Sakura tackled Naruto down onto the bed. "Take it back!" she growled at him playfully.

"I mean let's face it Kimi is just so...there are no words," Naruto pressed on and Sakura gripped him by the collar of his shirt shaking him. The blond stopped laughing and quickly grabbed Sakura by her waist and flipped her over, so that she was beneath him.

"Your mean," Sakura grumbled and Naruto smiled, lowering himself towards her lips. When their lips touched Sakura smiled against his lips and put her hands on his chest, gripping his shirt and pulled him closer.

"If it makes you feel any better, you are a great kisser," Naruto whispered into her ear and she chuckled softly as he started kissing her neck. She closed her eyes and let her head roll back as his warm lips moved against her skin. "In all seriousness, Sakura, I really did enjoy last night. And I know it's cheesy sounding, but it was the best night of my life."

She placed her hand on the side of his face and smiled. "Mine too."

* * *

Sasuke and Hinata were out at the training ground early that morning. They were taking a short break and Sasuke kept sneaking glances at Hinata. He wasn't sure what was going on with him. Normally he didn't even think much of women, but Hinata always had him curious. She was friendly, warm, and gentle and no amount of training seemed to harden her. Sasuke looked away from her and stared out at the training ground, bringing his water bottle to his lips. Hinata was from a strong clan in the Hidden Leaf, she was even beautiful, and for some reason Sasuke wanted to know more about her.

They had been training for months together and he knew very little about the girl. All they would do is train, talk battle strategies, maybe occasionally they would talk about the weather and their daily lives, but mostly it was empty. Maybe it was just because they had been spending so much time together he was feeling this way. What impressed him more was that she never gave up, she kind of reminded him of Naruto albeit less annoying than the blond knucklehead. Hinata was graceful and serene, Sasuke was fascinated by it. In a way she somewhat reminded him of his mother, long dark hair, pale skin, a kind smile, and always offering to help others.

Though Sasuke had few memories of his mother, he always told himself he would want a woman who was like his mother. Strong and sophisticated. Beautiful and graceful. Hinata had all those qualities.

"Are you alright, Sasuke?" Hinata asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. It was a gentle touch and it made him feel a bit weird. Not many people ever physically touched him not even Naruto and Sakura. He looked at her hand for a moment and followed her arm to her neck and up to her pearl like eyes.

"I'm fine," Sasuke answered shortly and Hinata smiled weakly, taking her hand from his shoulder. "How long have we been training together now?" Sasuke asked.

"Uh, about four or five months now," Hinata replied steadily. Sasuke stared at the grassy ground and nodded his head stiffly. "Why? Is something wrong?" she inquired, sounding a bit worried about it. The Uchiha looked at her and shook his head, pressing his lips together in a firm line.

"No," he muttered.

Hinata had learned never to question Sasuke, she knew that he was cold and distant, but she had learned to figure out when something was bothering him. Currently she could tell he was thinking about something and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to shake it. They trained five days a week together for several hours at a time, they knew each other fairly well. Hinata could tell when Sasuke was upset or happy, although his happy wasn't a typical happy, but he had his moments. And she was fairly certain Sasuke could sense the same things out of her.

"Do you want to continue?" Hinata inquired, but Sasuke was staring into space. "Sasuke?"

"What?" Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the girl. She gave him a worried smile and he raised a brow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're distracted today, why don't we stop for the day," Hinata offered.

"I'm fine," he brushed off her suggestion and Hinata stifled a laugh, which made Sasuke's brows knit together. "What's so funny?" he asked a bit bitterly.

"I'm sorry, but I know you well enough to know you are distracted," Hinata explained and Sasuke looked away with a huff. "Do you want to go get some lunch and talk about it?" she tried, but Sasuke only grunted in response. Nodding once, Hinata pressed her lips together and sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

This was the difficult part about Sasuke Uchiha, he hated opening up. He was a closed book and no amount of prying got him to say anything. She was quite certain that if the village was ever attacked and he was taken hostage to give information, he would utter a single word. The only time Sasuke opened up at all was if he wanted too and that was a very rare occurrence. Out of the five months they had been training, Hinata recalled only one time they had a five minute heart felt conversation about his brother, Itachi. Otherwise though their conversations were bleak and generic. In a way it was like Sasuke just didn't know how to be around people anymore or more so he didn't want to be around them.

"Let's just train," Sasuke said, glancing at Hinata through the corner of his eye.

"Okay," Hinata said, walking into the middle of the training ground. "But if you want to talk about whatever is bothering you, I will listen." She gave him a soft smile and Sasuke stared at her, tilting his head partly in confusion and partly in intrigue.

"Noted," he responded before the two were tangled in a bout of taijutsu.

* * *

"Do you think things would have been different if Sasuke never left the village?" Sakura inquired as she and Naruto sat outside on his balcony, enjoying some hot chocolate in the cool evening air.

"He would still be a pompous jackass and well...I don't think you and I would be together," Naruto muttered the last bit and Sakura looked at the blond boy sitting in the chair beside her. "Let's be honest here, Sasuke was your first love and you know as well as I do you'd be dating him if he never left." Naruto sipped on the hot chocolate and Sakura frowned, she would like to think what he was saying wasn't true, but she could see his reasoning behind it.

Both of them grew as close as they did because they were searching for Sasuke, in a way Sasuke was sort of the reason they got together. Putting her mug down on the small round table between them, Sakura sat up straighter and turned to face Naruto completely. He looked at her with his bright blue eyes and tilted his head in confusion.

"You're right," Sakura announced and Naruto flinched a bit.

"Oh great a Sasuke conversation," Naruto grumbled with a roll of his eyes. "Never have enough of those."

"Listen," Sakura began and touched Naruto's arm gently, "Sasuke was my first love, if you can even call it that. And if he hadn't left me and you probably wouldn't have bonded the way we have," she paused and Naruto looked at her, "something tells me though...that you and I would have ended up together. So yes, Sasuke may have been my first love and things would be very different if he hadn't left, but somehow I believe we'd end up together."

"You really believe that?" he asked her, searching for honesty.

"You've loved me and have been there since day one, Naruto and that wouldn't have changed if Sasuke had stayed or not." Sakura smiled at him.

"And if you were with Sasuke," Naruto started and Sakura listened closely, "I would still be wishing you were mine."

"Your such a cheese ball," Sakura giggled and Naruto sighed, rolling his eyes. "But you are also reckless and brash and frustrating and kind of a dolt and-" Naruto pressed his lips against hers, it was the only way he knew to get her to shut up after all. Sakura smiled against the kiss and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He moved closed to her and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he pressed her up against the wall of his balcony.

"I may be all those things," Naruto said as he pulled away from her. "But let's not forget you are loud, bossy, domineering and shrill," he listed and Sakura glared at him.

"Shrill!" Sakura snapped. "I am not shrill!" she screeched and Naruto closed his eyes at the pitch, but laughed just as well putting her down on the ground. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.

"Remember, I love you in spite of those things," Naruto beamed and Sakura playfully slapped him across the face and trudged inside the house. "Oh come on," he whined as he followed after her, sliding the glass door shut.

"I'm going to shower now," Sakura said as she grabbed a towel from the linen closet.

"Is that an invitation?" Naruto asked, wiggling his brows.

"Nope." She closed the bathroom door and Naruto frowned.

"We need to add mean onto that list too!" Naruto called out and Sakura only laughed from the other side of the door.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you everyone who commented on last chapter. This chapter wasn't my best and it was a bit cheesy, but you know what I like me some cheese sometimes. Tell me what you thought and I'll see you all in the next chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Parents**

The following weekend, Sakura and Ino were shopping for some Halloween decorations. She was going to be throwing a party and all their friends were invited. To say the least, both girls were excited the group rarely got together anymore. As they were searching through the aisles of seasonal decorations, Ino was asking Sakura about her relationship with Naruto. The pinkette couldn't stop smiling and she had stars in her eyes.

"Well come on tell me, what was it like?" Ino questioned as she was looking at different door hangers. She was torn between one with a witch and one with a Jack-O-Lantern.

"Why are you asking about how my boyfriend is in bed?" Sakura asked with a chuckle and slight flush on her cheeks. Ino shrugged her shoulders, simply stating she was just curious what a dolt like Naruto could do behind closed doors. Sakura shook her head and tried to bite back her laughter. "I don't ask you how Shikamaru is."

"I would tell you if you did," Ino replied and Sakura stared at her friend in disbelief. The blonde winked at her friend and decided on the witch door decoration and placed it in the metal cart she was pulling around and filling with different items. "Here I'll tell you something and you tell me something."

"Well...okay, that's fair," Sakura gave in with a shrug and Ino cheered, clapping her hands together.

"Alright, so I'll start. Hmm, what should I tell you?" Ino wondered aloud as she tapped her chin. She was staring at some black, orange, and red candle sticks and picked up a few, dropping them into her basket next to the two pewter like candleholders she had grabbed earlier. "Oh we did it in the Torture and Interrogation Unit two weeks ago."

Sakura mouth fell open and she started laughing, she knew Ino was a wild one, but she never would have thought Shikamaru would do something that daring. The pinkette shook her head and didn't even know what to say. "Naruto and I have had sex a total of four times now, once on the kitchen table, once in the bedroom, and twice in the shower all at his apartment."

"I hope you disinfected that table," Ino giggled and Sakura blushed, assuring her they had cleaned it up nicely. "We've eaten hot fudge off each other."

"I just don't see Shikamaru as that type of guy," Sakura said as she started looking at some table cloths. She grabbed a nice red one with black spider web designs printed onto it. Ino gave her a thumbs up and Sakura dropped it into the cart. "I guess you never what goes on behind closed doors."

"It's really awesome, ooh you and Naruto should go to an adult toy store," Ino said with a laugh and Sakura nearly fell over. This was a whole new side to Ino, she wasn't holding back at all. The pinkette simply shook her head and tried not to picture Ino and Shikamaru having thrilling sex in their apartment. "It can really spice things up."

"I don't wanna know," Sakura said, waving the matter off.

"Don't be shy, everyone does it. Sex is sex," Ino explained as she looked at some candy bowls. "I mean yes it's an intimate thing and it's personal, but it's good to talk about it. You might learn something. Come on it's your turn, how big is he?" Ino asked.

"Ino!" Sakura exclaimed, covering her face with her hands to hide her blush and muffle her laughter. The blonde girl was having a giggling fit and to everyone else around they probably seemed crazy. "I'm going to go look at costumes now." Sakura walked away and Ino shook her head as she continued perusing around the decorations section of the store.

As Sakura was looking through some of the costumes, she heard someone call her name. At first she thought it was Ino coming back to poke and prod more about her boyfriend's body. Sighing the pinkette turned around and said, "Ino I'm not going to tell you the size of my boyfriend's penis, so stop asking."

"Well that answers my question about you and Naruto sleeping together." A woman with short dirty blonde hair and green eyes peering down at Sakura in surprise. The pinkette's mouth fell open and she quickly covered her mouth. Of all the people that had to be behind her it just had to be her mother Mebuki Haruno.

"Oh my God," Sakura gasped and shook her head. Moving her hand from her mouth, Sakura smiled awkwardly at her mother and started playing with her hair. "Mom that isn't what it sounded like."

"Oh Sakura, you're a young woman," her mother replied and put her hands on Sakura's shoulders, patting them gently, "I completely understand that you need to get out there and sow your wild oats."

"Okay, but if you could just pretend you didn't hear that...that would be great," Sakura hoped and her mother started laughing. "Mother what are you doing here?"

"I was picking up some decoctions for the front porch and some candy for the kiddos," her mother explained, gesturing to the small basket she was carrying in the bend of her arm. Sakura nodded as she looked at the basket and then back to her mother, smiling nervously. It was so obvious her mother was relishing in this moment and wanted to harass Sakura about it. "I was going to stop by your apartment and invite you and Naruto to dinner this Friday, but lucky me I got to sneak up on you and learn about you and your boyfriend fornicating."

Sakura turned red and let her head fallen between her shoulders, shaking her head in embarrassment. "Mother please," Sakura begged, but Mebuki only laughed some more and waved the issue off.

"So how about it, you and Naruto dinner Friday night?" Mebuki asked with a bright smile. Sakura's mouth opened and closed like a fish, she couldn't think of anything to get out of it. She wasn't working that evening and Naruto would certainly be free. "It only seems fitting we get to know the boy."

"You know him, it's Naruto," Sakura said simply with a smile.

"We know he's your teammate, and you're dating him, and that his a hero, but nothing else. So dinner on Friday night? Six o'clock," her mother tried and Sakura tried to come up with any way out of it, but she was coming up with blanks. "I won't take no for an answer."

"Uh...well, I guess...we could have dinner on Friday night," Sakura muttered, wishing she could say no. Her parents were nice people, but they were intense and they always embarrassed her, and she was positive they would interrogate Naruto. That was just something she wasn't ready for and Naruto certainly wasn't ready for that either.

"Splendid! Be at our house at six and I'll even make your favorite," her mother beamed and tapped Sakura on the nose before walking away. Waving and faking her laughter, Sakura groaned once her mother was out of her sight line.

"Okay, I'm ready to go," Ino said as she pushed her cart up beside Sakura. "What's wrong?" The blonde could see that Sakura looked a bit distressed. "Look you don't have to tell me what size it is or anything, I was just kidding around." Ino nudged her friend in the side and Sakura smiled meekly at her friend.

"My mother just invited me and Naruto to dinner," Sakura explained and Ino blinked a few times and chuckled.

"That's going to be exciting," Ino laughed and Sakura only groaned, rubbing her temples.

* * *

"I think you're overreacting a bit," Naruto said as Sakura paced back and forth in the Hokage's office. Once again Tsunade had given herself the day off and left Naruto to 'train' at being Hokage. It wasn't particularly hard to begin with, he read a bunch of reports, signed -forged- Tsunade signature on a few things, and assembled teams to go on missions. "We'll be fine, Sakura, just calm down." Naruto smiled at her, afraid she would trudge a hole into the floor.

"You don't understand, my parents are intense and crazy and I'm still waiting on the results, but I think they are partially psychotic," Sakura fussed, throwing her hands up in the air. Naruto couldn't help, but chuckle at her reaction. He had never seen her so flustered and worried before. "You laugh, cause you think I'm kidding, but I'm not."

"Look at you," Naruto said, gesturing to her tense stance. "Your normally perfect feathers are all ruffled up." The blond man leaned back into his chair and smiled at Sakura, who merely sputtered and started pacing once again. Shaking his head, Naruto forged Tsunade's signature onto a document and moved onto the next pile of papers he had to look through.

"Naruto, listen they will eat you alive," Sakura assured him, placing her palms down on the edge of the desk. Naruto looked up from the scroll he was reading and gave his girlfriend a soft smile. "They will be merciless and ruthless." She shook her head and sighed heavily.

"Well that's alright, I mean all the bad guys we've fought up to this point have been easy going," Naruto stated sarcastically and Sakura rolled her eyes. "Sakura if we took down the Ten Tails and Madara and Obito, I'm fairly certain we can handle your parents."

"No we really can't," Sakura interjected with a wave of her finger, causing Naruto to frown. He really couldn't fathom what the big deal was, they'd been dating for a little over a month now and it only seemed right he got to know her parents. Sure they'd met briefly a few times before, but they hardly knew anything about each other. "I wouldn't even want Sasuke and Sai to meet them on a personal level, it's just too weird and intense."

"Sakura you're acting like it will be some sort of horror story," Naruto pointed out with a shake of his head.

"You're being surprisingly brave about all this," Sakura explained and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Well I have to meet them eventually don't I? Let's just get it done and over with, besides I really think you are overreacting," Naruto said and got up from his chair. He walked around the desk and pulled Sakura into his arms, giving her a comforting hug. She laid her head against his chest and sighed, wrapping her arms around his torso. "I promise once it's all over, no matter what I will still love you." He kissed the top of her head and pulled away, gently stroking the side of her face.

"Okay, let me just warn you real quick," Sakura began and Naruto sighed, but allowed her to continue. "You know how some people have really awkward families that embarrass them and drive them totally insane, but at the end of the day the people love them because they're family?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Naruto replied with a nod.

"Mine's not like that," Sakura stated simply and Naruto started laughing, leading Sakura to the office door. "I'm being completely honest." She put her hand on his shoulder and Naruto rolled his eyes, taking her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Here's what we're going to do," Naruto said as he opened up the office door and gently pushed Sakura out into the hallway, while he remained in the office. "You're going to go to work, I'm going to finishing doing the old lady's work, and then we'll go to your apartment have a nice dinner, have some good sex, and then we'll go to dinner with your parents on Friday like it's nothing to worry about." He kissed Sakura on the lips and stepped back, winking at her.

"I want great sex if I'm going to be dealing with my parents on Friday," Sakura stated and Naruto laughed, nodding his head in agreement. "Okay, I'll go. See you tonight." Waving to him, Sakura walked off down the hallway and Naruto shook his head before going back into the office.

* * *

"Okay, I'm ready to die now," Sakura said as she and Naruto stood outside her parents house. She was in a casual outfit of black skinny jeans with brown slouch boots and a pretty white blouse with loose sleeves that went just past her elbows. Her hair was curled and her make-up accentuated her eyes and every moment Naruto glanced at her, he thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

"Just breathe, babe, we'll be fine," Naruto assured her as he put his arm around her waist. Nodding stiffly, Sakura took in a deep breath and slowly let it out as they made their way up the front porch steps. Lifting his hand, Naruto knocked on the door and kept his other hand on the small of Sakura's back. "You look beautiful, by the way," he whispered in her ear and Sakura smiled, turning to give him a small kiss on the cheek.

The door came open and both Naruto and Sakura smiled as Mebuki appeared in the doorway in a simple red sweat and black pants. She beamed at the two lovebirds and ushered them in quickly and noticed Sakura was carrying a plate of chocolate cookies. Her mother gushed about how it was so nice of them to bring a desert and fawned over how cute they looked together. Sakura smiled innocently and Naruto thanked her mother with a few nods and laughter, his one hand never leaving Sakura's lower back.

"You're father is still getting dresser, but please come into the kitchen." Mebuki waved for them to follow her and they did so. As they were walking down the hallway to the kitchen, Naruto's eyes ventured about looking at Sakura's childhood home. Not once had he ever been inside of it. There were several pictures perfectly aligned on the wall of the hallway, the brown leather couch had beautiful decorated red, cream, and gold throw pillows, there was a large book shelf with probably a hundred books on it, the floors were wooden and pristinely polished, and the house smelled like sweet red plums.

"Mom, you've already started drinking?" Sakura groaned when she saw a half empty bottle of red wine on the kitchen island. Naruto walked in beside Sakura and noticed the bottle as well, but smiled just as well.

"Oh sweetheart, you need to loosen up a bit. Why are you wearing such tight fitting clothing anyways? Isn't Naruto already sleeping with you?" her mother asked nonchalantly and Sakura turned bright red while Naruto laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

_Sakura wasn't kidding, her parents are intense, _Naruto thought in surprise.

"Mother now is so not the time to be yourself," Sakura scolded as her mother started tending to a pot of soup. The pinkette knew that this was only the beginning, it would only get much worse once her father came down stairs. "Please try and dial down the crazy."

"Oh I'm sorry," her mother said with a wave of her hand and started laughing. Sakura sighed and shook her head, they only had to survive three more hours and they would be free. Her green eyes went to Naruto, who was just looking around the room nervously. "So Naruto tell me is Sakura a good lover?"

Naruto blinked several times and Sakura started coughing wildly as she choked on her own spit. "Um...Mrs. Haruno I don't think that's entirely appropriate." The blond shook his head and the woman pursed her lips before grabbing her glass of wine, taking a quick sip, her green eyes never leaving Naruto's blue ones. Sakura on the other hand was standing their completely flabbergasted, her mom had no censor button or off switch, meaning it would be like this for the next three hours.

_In the dead of night I'm killing my mother, _Sakura thought vehemently as she clenched her fist at her sides.

"Oh good they're already here!" Kizashi Haruno, Sakura father, exclaimed happily as he walked into the kitchen. His teal eyes fell onto his daughter, who greeted him kindly with a hug. He patted the top of her head and turned his attention to Naruto, who smiled at the father-daughter reunion. Naruto knew that Sakura hardly ever saw her parents anymore, which was another reason he wanted to come. Sometimes Naruto felt that Sakura didn't realize how amazing it was to have parents who loved and cared for you, even if they could be really embarrassing.

"Hello, Mr. Haruno, good to see you again," Naruto greeted, holding his hand out to the man. Kizashi smiled at Naruto and laughed lightly before taking his hand and yanking Naruto into a big bear hug. Sakura stepped back and bit her lip as her daughter, literally lifted Naruto off of the ground with his massive hug. When he left Naruto down, the blond was laughing and Kizashi patted Naruto on the shoulder.

"No formalities, we're all family," Kizashi said with a wink. "Come on have a glass of wine." Kizashi grabbed hold of the open bottle and poured the red liquid into a glass for Naruto. The blond thanked him and took the glass, sipping on it casually and sneaking glances at Sakura who still seemed a bit tense and nervous.

"Sakura, darling, set the table won't you?" her mother asked, gesturing over to the table that was completely empty. Nodding, Sakura gathered up the dinnerware to set the table up with. She glanced over her shoulder and hoped Naruto would be okay while she was setting the table up. "So Naruto, do you love our daughter?" Mebuki asked in all seriousness, her green eyes narrowing at him.

"Yes, Mrs. Haruno, I love her very much," Naruto replied with a nod.

"Tell us, why are you so good for her?" Kizashi inquired, eyeing him closely and leaning forward on the small island in the kitchen. Naruto stared at him for a second and looked over to Mebuki, who had her arms crossed over her chest. It seems that they were grilling him real nice, but Naruto thought it was sweet. They just wanted to make sure she was in good hands, which she was. Naruto would die before he let anything happen to the beautiful pinkette across the hall.

_I'm guessing village hero and savior of the shinobi world isn't the answer they are looking for, _Naruto thought as he put his wine glass down and took in a deep breath, slowly he let it out and looked her father dead in the eye saying, "Mr. Haruno I honestly can't say why I'm good for her, but I can say this," Naruto paused for a moment as he glanced at Sakura setting the table, "For as long as I'm by Sakura's side, she will never go a day without being loved. I'll always be there to catch her when she falls and I most certainly will never let anything happen to her, because I love her more than anyone ever could or ever will."

Kizashi and Mebuki looked at each other for a moment and turned back to Naruto. Smiling at him, Kizashi walked up to Naruto and patted him on the shoulder. "I approve, your good."

Naruto smiled as Kizashi called out to his daughter and began helping her finish setting the table. When Naruto looked back at Mebuki, she smiled at Naruto and nodded saying Sakura would be in good hands. He laughed lightly and thanked her before turning around and seeing Sakura walking up to him. The pinkette opened up her arms and hugged him around his torso. He put his arm around her shoulder and gently stroked her arm.

"And you were worried this would be bad," Naruto whispered into Sakura's ear before kissing her temple.

"Oh they're only warming up," Sakura said with a smile as she pulled away from him and went to get the serving dishes.

"So Naruto how many grandkids should we expect?" Mebuki asked as she started pouring the soup into a smaller black pot to put at the table. Naruto's mouth fell open and he blinked several times.

"I told you," Sakura said, looking back at her boyfriend, who just grabbed the glass of wine and down the whole thing in one go. "Mom, no grandkids, we've only started dating and we're still young."

"Better to start early than late," Mebuki chided, waving her wooden spoon at the two.

"I need more wine," Naruto said and Sakura chuckled softly, shaking her head. If Naruto couldn't even handle this, she was afraid of what would happen once they were actually sitting at the table.

This was going to be a very strange dinner, but if Naruto survived he'd be a keeper.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This chapter was so fun to write, everyone loves sexual innuendos and awkward questions from the bf/gf's parents right? No, just me? Haha, thank you all for the comments on the last chapter, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Apologies for any typos, see you all in the next chapter. Oh I need some help too, there's a poll on my profile page for what Sakura should wear to Ino's Halloween Party for the next chapter, **so go vote**! Oh and only registered users can vote, so if you aren't a user here, but still want to vote you can leave the answer in a comment if you'd like.


	13. Chapter 13

**The Halloween Party**

Sakura had on a trench coat to hide her naughty little school girl costume beneath it. She gripped tight to the trench coat, making sure it wouldn't fly open in the wind and expose her to the passerby's of the Konoha market. The fall air felt good on her freshly shaved legs that were exposed from the knee down and manicured fingers and toes. Her heels clicked on the ground as she walked at a brisk pace towards the Hokage Tower. It was dusk and everyone would be heading to Ino's Halloween Party, but Naruto had a whole bunch of work dumped on him by Tsunade. He had told her he wasn't going to be at the party until later, but she wanted to see what he thought of her costume first.

When she got to the stairs of the building, she looked up at the highest windows. Naruto would be in there, doing Tsunade's paper work that in a few years would truly be his. Sakura had overheard Kakashi and Tsunade speaking about it. Kakashi was in the hospital after a mission and they talked about Naruto becoming Hokage in three years or less. Sakura didn't mention it to Naruto though, she didn't want to freak him out or be wrong. After all at the end of the day it was up to the council and daimyo if Naruto would be Hokage. She started up the stairs, deciding to forget all about that for a little while longer.

Arriving at the top of the stairs, Sakura looked around the hallway it seemed like mostly everyone had gone home for the night. Aside from Ino's Halloween Party there was a festival going on and kids would surely be out trick-or-treating for the night. Continuing on down the hallway, Sakura's needle like heels clicked softly on the wooden floor. She stopped at the Hokage's office and could see the light bleeding through the cracks. Licking her lips, Sakura took in a deep breath and raised her hand to knock on the door.

"I thought you were going to the festival, Granny," Naruto's voice came from the other side of the door. Sakura smiled and took that as his way of saying 'come in', so she pushed the door open and stepped through the threshold. "Don't worry I'm doing your paperwork, heaven forbid you miss the festival," Naruto grumbled as his face was hidden behind a report. In one hand he held the huge report and in his other hand he was twirling an ink brush around in his fingers.

"Naruto," Sakura called his name sweetly. He stopped twirling the brush in his hand and lowered the report, peering over the top with those alluring blue eyes of his. She smiled at him and waved. Putting the report down, Naruto leaned back in his chair and laughed lightly. "I wanted to drop by and ask you about my costume that I'm wearing to Ino's party," Sakura explained as she approached the desk, stopping a few steps away.

"Well, let's see then," Naruto smirked as he stood up and walked around the desk. He sat on the edge of it and waited patiently as Sakura slowly started parting the black trench coat she was wearing. His blue eyes watched her shoulders roll as she shrugged off the trench coat and let it fall to the floor. He raised a brow and his eyes widened as his girlfriend stood before him in a sexy school girl outfit. Naruto could already feel the temptation and desire building inside of him.

"So what do you think?" she asked, seductively and batted her long curly lashes at him. Her make-up accentuated the features of her face, making them even more attractive than Naruto thought possible. His lips pursed as she stood there with her hands on her hips, leaning forward ever so slightly showing off her cleavage from the plunging neckline of the black tight fitting blouse she wore that practically only covered her breast. She had a tie around her neck that was pink and black plaid that matched the pleated skirt that barely covered her lower regions. Her slender legs were sparsely covered by black fishnets and those heels gave her an extra three inches of height. "You don't like...that's okay," she sighed softly and waved it off about to walk away, but Naruto scrambled over to her.

He caught her arm and spun her around, pressing her half naked figure up against his dressed one. She smiled up at him and he held up one finger and turned around. The pinkette raised a brow in confusion, but that confusion dissipated the moment Naruto shoved everything off of the Hokage's desk. He turned to her and wiggled his brows, patting the smooth surface of the desk with his hand. Sakura started chuckling and watched as Naruto approached her, he didn't touch her though, but they were inches apart.

She could feel his warmth, she could almost taste him he was so close. Licking her lips Sakura, watched him with her bright green eyes, waiting for him to make his move. It was unlike Naruto to be so patient, normally he'd have her on the desk already. Just when she was about to mention that to him, Naruto grabbed her ass and yanked her forward. She moaned and craned her neck to look up at him. Her body pressed against his and the sexual tension filling the air had them both going stir crazy.

"We had been saying we wanted to do it in here," Sakura whispered and Naruto smirked, lowering his hands down to her thighs. Gripping the back of her legs, Naruto lifted her up and Sakura gasped, wrapping her legs around his waist and placing her hands on his shoulders. "I'm going to be late for the party if we do this."

"Well maybe you should have thought of that before you came in here," Naruto said softly as he carried her to the Hokage's desk, placing her down on it gently. She smiled and Naruto leaned in, pressing his lips onto hers. His hands moved from her sides up to the bottom of her tight fitting shirt that was more like a sports bra. Moving his fingers under the silky material, Naruto pulled it up and broke the kiss for a couple of seconds. The moment her clothes fell onto the floor, Sakura leaned forward and caught Naruto's lips again. She bit his lower lip teasingly and he growled as his hands traveled up her bar to unhook her bra. Sakura didn't skip a beat as she reached for the hem of his shirt.

Pulling the shirt off of his body, Sakura tossed it aside and Naruto started kissing her neck. The pinkette moaned as he nipped and sucked at her skin. His hands exploring her body, gripping her breast and massaging them soothingly. Sakura moved her hands down Naruto's chest and abs, quickly finding the button and zipper to his pants. She began to undo them and yanked them down. Naruto's pants fell to his ankles and Sakura smirked as she reached into his boxers. The blond man growled as Sakura's fingertips brushed against the tip of his penis. He shivered against her and caught her lips in a pleasurable kiss.

Reaching for Sakura's panties, Naruto yanked them from her body. Sakura moaned in pleasure as Naruto moved closer to her. He put his hands on her hips and steadied himself at her entrance. Their eyes locked and Sakura nodded her head as he pulled her closer. When he was in her, Sakura let her head fall back and used her elbows to keep up her up right. Naruto slowly started moving in and out of her, slowly picking up his speed.

"N-Naruto," Sakura moaned his name, leaning upwards. She wrapped her arms around his neck and Naruto smiled, kissing the side of her head. He continued to thrust into her and she moaned, clawing at his back. Naruto groaned and thrusted in harder and deeper. "Naruto!" she screamed, prompting Naruto to put his mouth on hers. While most people had left, some were still in the building.

Their tongues tangled together for a few moments before he pulled away, feeling her walls tightening around him. He moaned her name and buried his face into her hair and shoulder. The sweet smell of her strawberry shampoo filling his nostrils. He bit his lip as he slowed himself down a bit, teasingly moving in and out of Sakura. She moaned and begged him to keep going, scooting closer to make him enter her pulsating walls. Smirking, Naruto started moving quickly once again and Sakura bit her lip to keep herself quiet.

Naruto caught Sakura's hands and laced their fingers together, lifting them up over their heads as he continued to thrust. She breathed heavily, moaning, and groaning in ecstasy as the pleasure started to build deep within her. Naruto could tell she was close from her wetness and the tenseness of her body, so he tried his best to keep himself in control.

Sakura gripped his shoulders tightly and Naruto thrust one final time, feeling himself release into her. The pinkette panted heavily and rested her forehead against his. He panted heavily as well and met her eyes, smiling he kissed her gently and stroked the side of her face with his thumb. When they pulled apart, Sakura shivered as Naruto pulled himself out of her.

"Let's get to that party now," Naruto whispered into her ear and Sakura laughed lightly, nodding her head in agreement. Just as Naruto was about to step away the door flung open. Sakura yelped and jumped off the desk, hiding her naked form against Naruto. His arms instinctively went around her lithe frame and he looked over his shoulder.

"What the hell! On the Hokage's desk?! Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Sasuke snapped as he quickly retreated out of the room and slammed the door shut. "Seriously! You two are fucking insane!" Sasuke hollered.

Sakura's cheeks were bright red as she buried her face into Naruto's strong chest. She tried to contain her laughter. Naruto sighed and shook his head, rubbing Sakura's back. He knelt down and pulled on his pants, quickly buttoning them up. Sakura grabbed her bra and the top of her costume, slipping it on quickly and fixed up her make-up and hair. The two looked at each other and tried not to laugh before they went to the door.

Naruto slowly pulled it open and Sasuke was standing across the hallway. His arms were crossed against his chest and he looked completely unamused. Rubbing the back of his neck, Naruto laughed nervously and greeted Sasuke, who shook his head in disapproval. Sakura slipped out next and looked at her stoic teammate.

"We never intended for you to see that," Sakura said gently and Sasuke's dark eyes fell upon her. "Or anyone for that matter."

"So is that why you two were having sex in the Hokage's office, where no one ever goes?" Sasuke asked sarcastically and Sakura's mouth fell open at a loss for words.

"Oh please, I caught you and that nurse having sex in the nurse's lounge once," Naruto interjected quickly and Sakura's mouth fell open. Sasuke glared daggers at Naruto who smirked triumphantly and put an arm around Sakura's waist. He then remembered she was still in that sexy schoolgirl get-up and said, "Sakura please cover up." The girl looked at her boyfriend and rolled her eyes, slipping on her black trench coat.

"You had sex with one of the nurse's?" Sakura asked, trying not to laugh and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "When? Which one?"

"None of your business," Sasuke shot at her and Sakura frowned, but laughed just as well. "Look let's just go to Ino's party already, cause I'm in major need of alcohol after seeing what I just saw." The dark haired Uchiha pushed off the wall and started off down the hallway, leaving Naruto and Sakura blushing by the office door.

"How much do you think he saw?" Sakura whispered to Naruto, watching Sasuke walk away.

"No idea," Naruto replied back with a shrug.

* * *

The group were all standing outside in the picnic area just off of Ino's porch. The party had been great, everyone had a fun time, talking, dancing, and drinking. It was close to midnight now, but the original rookie nine still wanted to catch up. There were lights hanging down from the trees and there was a fire in the middle of the circle the group was standing in. They were roasting s'mores and chit-chatting in the refreshing cool autumn air.

"So you and Naruto had sex in the Hokage's office, hmmm?" Ino whispered into Sakura's ear. The pinkette hushed her friend, hoping no one else could hear them. Glancing over her shoulder, Sakura noticed Naruto standing with Kiba and Shikamaru across the way and not to far away from them Sasuke, Shino, and Chouji were talking. Hinata came walking over to them in her little fairy costume that looked so cute on her with the frills of the light blue tutu and the silky tight fit of the corset. "Oh my god! You did!" Ino squealed and Sakura cursed at her friend, slapping a hand over her mouth.

"Ino please, shush!" Sakura hissed viscously as the blonde in the purple and black showgirl outfit with feather in her curly hair jumped up and down in excitement.

"What are you talking about?" Hinata asked curiously.

Ino ripped Sakura's hand from her mouth and leaned in to whisper the answer into Hinata's ear. The girl with the indigo hair gasped when Ino told her and looked at Sakura, who let her head fall between her shoulders.

"Really? Wow," Hinata laughed lightly. She had long since gotten over her crush on Naruto, she knew very well that he was in love with Sakura. Especially after the war, so she let those feelings go. It didn't hurt their friendship at all though, Naruto was still the same loud mouth who never knew how to quit. Hinata appreciated that about him entirely and she was happy for Sakura, they really did make a nice couple.

"And Sasuke walked in on them," Ino added.

"What!" Hinata gasped, placing a hand on her chest. Her pearl eyes widened in surprise and Sakura glared at Ino.

_This is how rumors start, _Sakura thought bitterly as she shook her head. "Ino stop it," Sakura growled and the blonde only laughed, waving the matter off. "Besides you're one to talk, you and Shikamaru did it in the T&I unit."

"Clearly I have bad timing today," Sasuke grumbled as he stood behind the three girls. They all turned to look at him and laughed lightly.

"You can just admit you secretly want us, Sasuke, no harm done," Ino joked, waving her hand at him. The Uchiha only snorted and rolled his eyes, downing the last of his alcohol.

"Keep dreaming, Ino," Sasuke told her with a smirk and the blonde girl rolled her blue eyes, placing her hands on her hips.

"That's alright, I'm sure Shikamaru's better than you anyways," Ino retorted with a shrug and Sasuke snickered. "Besides we all know who you have eyes for."

"Excuse me?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow. Sakura glanced from Sasuke to Hinata, who blushed and excused herself from the group. Before the pearl eyed girl could get away though, Ino looped her arm through Hinata's and brought her back. Sasuke looked at Hinata, who stared back at him, but pursed her lips and quickly looked away.

"Come on you two! We've all seen it," Ino exclaimed. "I see the way you look at each other, sneaking glances across the room, always training together. Just admit you like each other already." Ino shoved Hinata towards Sasuke, who caught her and steadied her. When she stood up and looked at Sasuke, Hinata stepped away and blushed a faint shade of pink.

"Shikamaru control your woman," Sasuke said over his shoulder.

Ino rolled her eyes and walked away, going to join her boyfriend. Hinata stood there awkwardly and looked to Sakura for guidance. The pinkette saw this and gave Hinata a soft smile and glanced at Sasuke, who seemed a bit indifferent about what Ino had just done. Pressing her lips, together Sakura decided that this was their own call and slipped away quietly.

"Ino's just being silly, don't listen to her," Hinata said suddenly and Sasuke looked at her. "We're just friends, right?" she asked, licking her lips and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Y-yeah," Sasuke stuttered out and Hinata smiled, nodding her head.

"Then there's nothing to worry about," she replied and Sasuke looked down at her. She could see the inner turmoil inside of him and it kind of made her nervous. He'd been acting weird for a while now. It just wasn't like him at all, he was normally so calm and together. "Hey, let's just have some s'mores." She nodded towards the fire pit a little ways away from them.

"Sure," Sasuke replied quietly and walked to the fire pit with Hinata by his side.

Not to far away, Sakura watched Sasuke and Hinata making some s'mores by the fire and smiled weakly. While confessing his emotions wasn't Sasuke's strong suit, Sakura could see exactly what Ino had said. The way Sasuke watched Hinata was very intriguing. She felt a pair of arms snake around her and leaned against the warm body behind her. Closing her eyes, Sakura smiled as Naruto kissed her shoulder and looked over at Sasuke and Hinata.

"When they finally get together, we need to catch them having sex somewhere," Naruto stated and Sakura started laughing, shaking her head at her boyfriend's silly statement. "I'm serious, it's only fair." He stood up a little straighter and turned Sakura around in his hold.

"You're so weird," Sakura told him and Naruto shrugged his shoulders. He leaned down and pecked Sakura's lips. "But I love you anyways." She winked at him and Naruto laughed lightly.

Across the way, Ino watched Sakura and Naruto as they kissed under the romantic orange and white lights dangling from the trees overhead. She sighed softly and glanced at Shikamaru, who was standing beside her, talking to Chouji and Kiba. Closing her eyes, Ino laid her head against Shikamaru's shoulder and laced her fingers together with his. Shikamaru glanced down at Ino and smiled warmly, kissing the top of her head.

"See now that's sweet," Kiba commented, gesturing to Shikamaru and Ino. "I need that."

"Well stop screwing every girl that walks around and maybe you can land yourself a nice girl," Ino told him as she opened up her eyes. "Oh wait, I forgot, you're holding out for Lee." The blonde girl started laughing and Kiba huffed in annoyance. Chouji and Shikamaru started laughing too as Kiba just shook his head.

"How long are you guys going to keep teasing about that?"

"Duh, forever," Ino laughed and Kiba rolled his eyes, he would never help Lee again.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Alright who's had that awkward moment when a friend/family member walks in while your having sex? Thanks for all the comments on the last chapter, I appreciated the feedback. Hopefully this chapter was fun for you guys and obviously the sexy schoolgirl costume won the poll, thanks for reading everyone! See you in the next chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

**The Fire**

It was mid-November and there was a chill in the air. The skies were overcast, making it the perfect day to sit on a couch, cuddle with a blanket, and watch movies all day. When your Sakura Haruno though, your life revolved around the Leaf Hospital. Thankfully she was on break after eight hours of running up and down the hallways checking on several patients, doing x-rays, and stitching people up. Stirring some creamer and sugar into her coffee, Sakura went over to the window and sat down on the cushioned bench of the nurse's lounge. Blowing on the hot coffee, Sakura slowly brought the cup to her lips and sipped, hoping to not burn her tongue.

She could feel the cold seeping through the window. It felt nice and she just closed her eyes, wanting to take a short little nap before continuing on with the next four hours of her shift. Unfortunately two nurse's were out with the flu, so everyone had to pull around a little extra weight. Yawning, Sakura rested her head on the window and opened her eyes up slowly. Bringing the coffee cup up to her lips, Sakura took another sip and let out a breath.

"Hey Sakura, I know it's your break, but someone's asking for you up at the front desk," a woman with short brown hair said from the door. Sakura turned and gave the woman a quizzical looking, asking if she knew who it was. "It's someone from ANBU." The woman shrugged her shoulders and Sakura took one final sip of her coffee before getting up. Following the woman out to the main lobby, Sakura saw the man standing at the counter.

He was wearing a white and blue dog mask. Tilting her head, Sakura looked at the man clad in the ANBU gear. She had a very strong feeling it was Sai, which kind of worried her. There was no reason for ANBU or anyone really to be after her. The nurse told the man that Sakura was coming and he nodded and looked at the pinkette.

"Sakura."

_Yeah that's Sai, alright, _Sakura thought as she heard his voice. "Is something wrong?" the pinkette asked, stuffing her hands into the white lab coat she was wearing.

"You might what to sit down," Sai spoke from behind the mask and worry came over Sakura's face. She was a nurse, she knew when someone said to take a seat it wasn't good news. Licking her lips, Sakura shook her head and was about to speak, but Sai walked over to her and led her to the near by chairs.

"Is it Naruto? Or Sasuke? Kakashi? Ino? What's going on?" Sakura bombarded and Sai sighed softly, making her panic even more. "Sai!" she snapped.

"Hey, don't say my name," Sai scolded her and Sakura was about ready to rip his mask off and then punch him. He was freaking her out and she wasn't appreciating it at all. "There was a fire."

"What? A fire?" Sakura repeated not understanding what he was getting at. Sai nodded his head and began to explain something about someone breaking out of the T&I Unit and the repercussions of their escape lead to a fire. "And why are you telling me? Do I have burn victims coming in or something?" Sakura asked him with a raised brow.

"Sakura the fire was at your apartment complex," Sai stated and Sakura's eyes widened in shock. Of all the things he could have told her, it just had to be that. She put a hand on her chest and started to panic. Sai tried to get her to calm down, but Sakura shot up and explained to the receptionist behind the desk she had to leave. "Sakura!" Sai shouted, but she was already running out the door.

Sakura had to see for herself just how badly the damages were. Everything was in that apartment, her clothes, important documents, things that could not be replaced. Just when things were finally going good for her they had to take a turn for the worst. Moving as fast as her legs could carry her, Sakura hoped that things weren't as bad as she was thinking. It was a fire though, so it couldn't be good at all. Plus for Sai to have come and told her, it must have been a complete disaster.

It didn't take the pinkette long to arrive at the scene, which had been taped off to keep onlookers away. Her green eyes looked at the building that was branded with smoke and ash. She stopped running and moved through the small crowd of people and could see the owners of the complex talking with some jounin. Sakura ran her fingers through her hair and let out a breath as she saw the shattered windows and burned grass and trees that stood next to her building. Swallowing hard, Sakura shook her head.

The building itself was still standing, but it was obvious it was severely damaged by the flames. Sakura could only assume the fire got out of hand quickly. Her green eyes looked at the wooden beams that were cracked and seemed as though they would fall into rubble within seconds. Several ANBU and jounin shinobi were having people move back for safety purposes. Sakura covered her mouth with her hands and felt the tears pricking her eyes. There was no way any of her belongings had survived that fire, everything was gone and ruined.

"Sakura," a male voice came.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura began, but choked out a sob. As her tears started to fall, the masked jounin approached her and put a hand on her shoulder. "How...how did this...what happened?" Sakura questioned, wiping away her tears with the sleeves of her white lab coat.

"Someone escaped and unfortunately the battle happened right here," Kakashi explained to her and Sakura choked out another sob. She didn't need thing kind of stress, she was tired and now she didn't have a home anymore. Sniffling, Sakura shook her head and looked over to a bench that wasn't too far from the scene. Straggling over to the bench, Sakura plopped down on it and stared at the once beige building that was now gray and black with ash and burns. "It'll be okay, Sakura, don't you worry." Kakashi sat down beside her and the pinkette nodded stiffly.

"This sucks," Sakura grumbled and Kakashi chuckled softly, ruffling up his student's hair. She waved his hand away and rested her elbows on her knees, burying her face in her hands again. "Well, Naruto will be happy."

"That your apartment burned down, I don't think so," Kakashi said and Sakura chuckled softly.

"No, that I'll be living with him until I can save up some money to find a new place," Sakura explained and Kakashi nodded his head knowingly. The blond was actually out on a mission and wouldn't be back for another week, so Sakura would be staying in his apartment alone for a little while. "This is just awful, was anyone hurt?" Sakura asked, looking at Kakashi.

"No thankfully everyone made it out before it got too bad," Kakashi assured her and Sakura smiled, happy to know that at least her neighbors had made it out okay. Sighing softly, Sakura shook her head this was not the kind of news she wanted.

"At least my lease was going to be up in a month," Sakura muttered, trying to make light of the situation. It was hardly working for her though. "Now I don't have to pack." She let out a small sob and Kakashi frowned, giving his student a comforting hug. He assured her that she would be fine and everyone would help her out.

"It'll be okay, Sakura, it'll be okay," Kakashi comforted as best he could.

"Thanks, sensei," Sakura mumbled as she pulled away from his grasp and wiped away her tears. Looking at the burned building made her stomach churn, so she quickly stood up and looked back at Kakashi. "I guess, I'm going to head back to the hospital now. I'll need all the hours I can get." She shook her head and had this desolate look etched on her face.

"Want me to walk you?" Kakashi asked her with the utmost concern for her.

"No, I'm okay...or I will be," Sakura responded with a weak smile. Kakashi nodded once, trusting her words. He knew as well as everyone else that Sakura was one tough girl and she always went down fighting. This was nothing she couldn't handle, she would be just fine.

"Alright, well if you need me, you know where to find me." Kakashi stood up and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently before returning back to the scene to see how the clean up crew was doing. Sakura sputtered and started walking back towards the hospital, it looked like she would be living with Naruto for the time being.

* * *

"Welcome back," Tsunade said as Naruto, Konohamaru, and Shikamaru entered her office. "How was the mission?" the busty blonde asked as she signed a scroll and rolled it up, piling it with a few others. She clasped her hands together and looked at them expectantly.

"Mission accomplished," Shikamaru answered first, holding up a scroll and placed it on her desk. The woman smiled and took it, thanking him. He nodded his head and fell back in line beside his teammates.

"Very good," Tsunade said as she opened up the scroll and read the message written within. "Konohamaru, Shikamaru, you're dismissed. Naruto you wait here." The blond man groaned, he had just gotten back. He wanted to eat, have sex with his girlfriend, who he hadn't seen in two weeks, and shower. The last thing on his mind was picking up the slack Tsunade was leaving behind. He was all for becoming Hokage, but he didn't want the work if he wasn't the Hokage. Konohamaru and Shikamaru left the room quietly and when the door shut, Naruto looked at Tsunade.

"Look Granny, I just got back from a very long mission and I really don't want to do paperwork today," Naruto explained with a shrug. "And before you say well it's the Hokage's job, yeah I know, but even they slack off sometimes. I mean your a perfect example for that."

"Shut-up before I punch you half way across the village you little brat!" Tsunade growled, slapping her down on the desk. Naruto yelped and straightened up as the amber eyed woman glared at him. "Good, now that I have your attention," Tsunade paused, her demeanor changing to sweet and friendly, "Sakura's apartment burned down."

"What?" Naruto asked worry flashing in his eyes.

"She's okay, but she lost all her belongings and well she's pretty sad," Tsunade sighed softly, remembering seeing Sakura being all gloomy at the hospital. "Cheer her up for me." The blonde woman smiled at Naruto, who smiled back and nodded his head in understanding.

"How exactly did it happen?" Naruto inquired with a raised brow before he left the office.

"Prisoner escape," Tsunade replied with a shrug as she went back to work. "It's all squared away now, but that doesn't bring back all of Sakura's things." Naruto looked at Tsunade and nodded his head in understanding.

"I leave for a couple of weeks and the village falls apart, maybe you should make me Hokage already," Naruto joked and Tsunade looked up from her paperwork, smirking slightly. "I mean, I do all the work already."

"Enough with the hints," Tsunade chided and Naruto chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as he walked over to some pictures hanging on the wall. "I'll admit you're getting better, but you still have things to learn. Don't be chomping at the bit, Naruto, this job comes with more responsibilities than protecting the village and doing paperwork."

"I'm aware," Naruto replied as he stared at the pictures of the past Hokages. He stopped in front of his father's and licked his lips, wishing that he could talk to him. Turning around, his blue eyes met Tsunade's amber ones. "But it's not just about that is it?"

"You're still young, you still have things to learn about life. You've been through a lot, everyone knows that, and you are more than qualified." Tsunade laced her fingers together and leaned back in her chair, watching Naruto closely. She could see how much he had grown both physically and emotionally, he was still a brat sometimes, but he grew up well. "Appreciate the finer things in life, Naruto."

"Noted," Naruto said to her with a soft smile. "See you later, Granny." With those words, Naruto left Tsunade's office.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura had been living together for about four weeks. They had their ups and downs a few small arguments about the messier person, several about the toilet seat being up, and even a couple about Sakura working too much lately. The other night the fight was worst than usual, enough to make Naruto sleep on the couch and Sakura lock herself away in the bedroom.

The blond's eyes fluttered open to the sound of someone dry heaving. He groaned and turned to look at the clock on the wall. It was only six in the morning the sun was barely breaking over the hilltops. Sitting up, Naruto rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms and stood up. He turned around to look down the hallway and saw the small sliver of light coming from the bathroom. The door was just barely cracked and he could hear Sakura behind it, throwing up whatever contents were in her stomach. Sighing softly, Naruto made his way to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Sakura," Naruto spoke softly only to be greeted by another retching sound. Pushing the door open, Naruto found Sakura hovering over the toilet and looking rather pale. "Hey are you okay?" Naruto knelt down beside her and put his hand on her back.

"I'm fine," she groaned, sitting back. Naruto looked at her as she leaned back against the tub and brought her knees into her chest. It was silent between the two for a few moments before Sakura felt the need to throw up again. Jumping for the toilet, Sakura vomited once again and Naruto gave her a worried look as she flushed the toilet and sank back onto her butt.

"Are you sick? Maybe it's all-"

"Don't start," Sakura chided and Naruto sighed, sitting down beside her. He leaned on the tub and put his arm around Sakura's shoulder. She leaned against him, feeling comfort in his touch. Her stomach had been bothering her all morning since four AM and she figured it was all the stress from the fight and working late every night.

"Want me to get you something?" Naruto asked softly, stroking her hair as she laid her head on his shoulder. She shook her head stiffly and Naruto sighed softly. He kissed the top of her head and stared across the bathroom out into the hallway. "I'm sorry for yelling at you last night."

Sakura sat up and looked up at Naruto, smiling weakly at him. "I'm sorry too." Naruto kissed the top of her head and put his arms around her. He lifted her up in his arms in a bridal style manner and carried her out of the bathroom. "Will you stay today?" Sakura asked softly as Naruto placed her down on the bed gently.

"Stay in bed with you or do piles of paperwork that's meant for Tsunade?" Naruto questioned with pursed lips, causing Sakura to smile. "Do you even have to ask?" He crawled onto the bed and laid beside her. Laying her head on his chest, Sakura let out a breath and closed her eyes. Naruto smiled as he felt her slowly drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

"I love you," Sakura whispered in a sleepy voice, earning a smile from Naruto. He pulled her closer to him and closed his eyes.

"I love you too, Sakura."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for such a short chapter, but I am proud to say we are now half way through this story, yay! And once I finish this one, I think I will be doing another SakuraxNaruto story, wouldn't that be fun? I'm working on a one-shot currently for this couple, so be on the look out for it. In the meantime, thank you all for the continued support and I will see you in the next chapter!


	15. Chapter 15

**The Question**

"Hey what are you doing here?" Ino asked as Sakura came sweeping into the flower shop. She looked a bit worried and maybe there was even a hint of confusion in her green eyes. The blonde leaned on the counter and raised a brow at her friend. "You okay?" Ino inquired with a curious smile and Sakura let out a breath.

"I need your help," the pinkette said and Ino furrowed her brows. In most cases Ino would be more than happy to help, but with the look on Sakura's face she was kind of worried. "Can you get off right now?" Sakura asked and Ino nodded her head slowly. "Do it." With that the pinkette walked out of the flower shop and Ino furrowed her brows again. She had no idea what was going on. She knew that Sakura and Naruto had been getting into a lot of bickering matches lately, but she didn't think it would be this serious.

Unless it was something else, but Ino wasn't sure what else it could be. Deciding to just find out for herself, Ino went to tell her mom she was going to be taking an early lunch and would be back in about an hour. Her mother agreed and the blonde was out the door to find her pink haired friend. For as long as Ino had no Sakura, she could tell when something was really troubling her.

When Ino came outside and saw Sakura sitting down on the small bench outside the shop, Ino could see it in Sakura's stance. It was a nervous sort of stance, worried, and fearful. That kind of thing wasn't Sakura's usual demeanor. Normally Sakura was cheerful or relaxed, but this tenseness was off putting for Ino. Taking in a deep breath, Ino went over to her friend and sat down beside her.

Sakura's green eyes were locked on the ground almost as if looking anywhere else would be forbidden. Ino said her name, but Sakura didn't even so much as blink. Becoming a bit anxious, Ino said her name once more and Sakura turned slightly in recognition to her name. Biting her lip, Ino put a hand on Sakura's shoulder and asked her if she wanted to go for a little walk. The pinkette didn't say a word, she simply nodded her head and stood up.

The two had no direction, they just began walking. It was mostly silent, no words were spoken between the two. Ino knew very well Sakura was deeply troubled and she really wanted to pry, but Sakura just didn't seem to want to say a word. When the pinkette got into these types of moods, Ino learned to just keep her mouth closed and wait. Eventually, Sakura would break down and come out with it. Ino was watching Sakura through the corner of her eye and she could see Sakura hadn't been getting much sleep from the dark circles under her eyes and she looked paler than usual. Obviously her health was beginning to decline, which was not good at all considering her apartment had burned down about a month and a half ago.

"Sakura," Ino said her name gently.

They had been walking for about half an hour and Sakura still hadn't said what she needed. She hadn't even tried to start a conversation at all. The blonde wasn't really sure what to make of it, but Ino could see Sakura was scared.

"Hey what's going on?" Ino asked, trying to be as comforting and supportive as she could possibly make herself to be. Sakura stopped walking when they reached one of the water canals that went through the village. "Sakura you're starting to freak me out a bit. What's wrong?" Ino looked at her friend, trying to make eye contact.

Sakura turned her back to Ino and gripped the metal railing of the canal. She sighed softly and leaned on the railing, running her long fingers through the pink tresses that were a little oily from not having shower that morning. Three days ago, Naruto and found her vomiting in the bathroom and again today he found her. He was quite worried about her and insisted that she take the day off. Originally Sakura didn't plan on listening to him, but she took the day off to confirm the fears she'd had for the past week.

"Sakura I can't help you if you don't talk to me," Ino stated firmly and Sakura turned to look at Ino. "Does this have to do with Naruto?" the blonde asked softly.

Sakura nodded her head.

"Is it about you working too much?"

Sakura shook her head and Ino licked her lips, leaning on the railing beside her.

"Are you two breaking up?"

"I don't know," Sakura replied simply and Ino gasped.

"Tell me what's happening." Ino looked at her friend, expecting something. The pinkette's green eyes began to water and Ino quickly hugged her. Sakura sobbed quietly and Ino rubbed her back in a soothing manner, assuring her that no matter what was happening everything would be okay.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Sakura slowly pulled away and let out a heavy breath. Ino looked at Sakura and tilted her head. The pinkette placed a hand on her stomach and Ino's eyes widened. When Sakura looked up at Ino, the blonde let out a breath and nodded stiffly in understanding.

"Are you sure?" Ino asked.

"No," Sakura replied, shaking her head. "That's what I needed your help for." Ino smiled warmly and nodded her head, reaching for Sakura's face to wipe away her tears. The blonde pulled her friend into a hug and promised her that she would be okay. Nodding her head, Sakura thanked Ino and returned the hug.

* * *

Sakura paced back and forth in the middle of Ino's living room, her blonde friend watching her do so. She had taken three pregnancy test and now they were just waiting for the results. The pinkette had a gut feeling she was pregnant, but she wanted to be sure. Of course, the only real way to be sure was to go get checked out at the hospital, but a positive pregnancy test would be just the push she needed to actually do so.

Her mind was wondering about how she would even tell Naruto. Neither one of them were ready for such a commitment and they had only been dating for about three months now. It was just too soon and she feared the kind of reaction he would give her. They were still young and they still had their whole lives ahead of them. Sakura always wanted to be a mother, but not at the mere age of twenty-two. Maybe further along when she was twenty-seven or even a little older. She wanted to be further in her career as both a medic and a shinobi, getting pregnant could mean retirement as a shinobi.

Not to mention Naruto still wanted and needed to become the Hokage, a baby could put those things on hold. Sakura sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her hair, they weren't ready. The timing was just off, but if she was in fact pregnant, she would have the child and raise it and love it. Despite the fact it was early on in her life and her relationship, Sakura had thought about being married to Naruto and having his children. They never talked about such things though and maybe that's because they were still figuring things out.

At the end of the day though, Sakura knew that no matter what that child would be loved. Not just by her and Naruto, but by all their friends. Ino got up and told Sakura it was time to check the test. Sakura looked to the bathroom door where the pregnancy test were laying in the sink. Taking in a sharp breath, Sakura made her way to the bathroom with Ino close behind her.

"Are you ready?" Ino asked, taking hold of Sakura's hand to comfort her. The pink let out the breath she had been holding and nodded quickly. "Okay." Ino and Sakura took a step forward and looked down into the sink at the three pregnancy test.

The simple test that provided the answer to one simple question: pregnant or not pregnant?

"Oh my god," Sakura breathed when she saw that all three test read positive. Ino squeezed her friend's hand and pulled her into a warm embrace. "Well, at least I know." The two pulled apart and Ino nodded in agreement and smiled at her.

"The timing may be bad, but I think this is exciting!" Ino beamed as she hugged her friendly tightly again and began laughing. "You're going to be a mom, that's good." Ino put her hands on Sakura's shoulders and looked into her green eyes.

"I know, I'm excited, but scared and...I don't even know," Sakura explained began laughing. Ino smiled at her friend and put a hand under her chin, making her look up.

"Naruto loves you and this won't make him love you any less," Ino assured Sakura, who nodded her head in agreement. There was no denying that Naruto loved Sakura to the moon and back. This would be a shock to him, but deep down she knew that Naruto would be excited about it. It was scary and they would be confused, but weren't all new parents like that with their first child no matter what the age? They would just have to take it one day at a time. "You should tell him soon."

"I will," Sakura replied.

"I'm going to be an aunt!" Ino squealed clapping her hands together, jumping up and down in excitement. Sakura started laughing, but joined Ino nonetheless in her excitement. It was a wonderful thing, one day she wanted to be a mom, this just kind of snuck up on her. "I'm so happy for you!"

* * *

Sakura was in the kitchen making Naruto's favorite ramen, knowing he would be home soon. She stirred the noodles around to make sure they were fully cooked before taking them out of the pot. Just as she was about to start plating the meal, Sakura heard the door come open and glanced over her shoulder. She smiled as Naruto walked in looking rather cheerful, more so than usual after spending a long day in the Hokage's office. He shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the hook by the door.

Sakura turned around to greet him and he smiled at her. The best part of his day was always coming home and seeing Sakura in the kitchen or napping on the couch. Those days rarely happened since she worked so often, but when it did happen he always felt overjoyed. He walked over to her and snaked his arms around her, pulling her close to his body, taking in the sweet scent of her hair. She put her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. Pushing herself up onto her tiptoes, Sakura pressed her lips softly onto his.

"I like when you're home before me," Naruto said after they broke apart, but he still held her in his arms. She smiled at him and laid her head on his chest. She had to tell him that she was pregnant, but she wasn't sure if she should just say it or wait until they started eating. Seeing as she just couldn't sum up the courage to do it, she decided on the latter. "So how was your day off? Did you finally get some rest?" Naruto asked like a worried mother hen.

"Yes, I rested," Sakura assured him with a smile, kissing him once more before breaking free of his hold to continue cooking their dinner for the night. "And I went shopping to make your favorite." Naruto put his arms around her midsection again and rested his head on her shoulder. His mouth watered when the delicious smell of miso ramen with pork filled his nose.

"It smells amazing," Naruto complimented and Sakura giggled, thanking him for saying so. He smiled and kissed her cheek before moving away to go sit at the table just across the way. When he sat down he stretched and let out a breath. "You know, they should just name me the Hokage already. I'm just putting out fires all over the place." The blond rolled his shoulders and sat back in his seat while Sakura nodded her head and listened to what his day entailed.

Bringing the food over to the table, Sakura set a bowl down in front of him and took the seat on the other side of the table. He complained about Tsunade running off again just before a meeting and he was forced to sit in her stead. Naruto seemed happy about it though, saying that the council actually liked his insights and took some of his words into considerations. Sakura smiled and told him that was very exciting. He agreed with her and looked down at his food, telling her it looked delicious. Thanking him, Sakura and Naruto said their thanks for the food and began to eat.

"What did you do today?" Naruto asked, looking up at Sakura with expectant blue eyes as he slurped down his food. Sakura chuckled, he was still the same messy eater as always.

"Well," Sakura paused and decided to just tell him. The longer she waited the more difficult it would be, so the best option was to just go in and tell him. Biting her lip, Sakura looked down at her bowl and let out a breath, meeting Naruto's questioning gaze. "You know how I've been throwing up the past couple of mornings, right?" Sakura tried, hoping she wouldn't chicken out and end up lying to him.

"Yeah, I'm getting kind of worried about you, maybe you should take a little while longer off just until you've gotten better," Naruto said with concern and Sakura gave him a kind smile. He was always concerned when something bad happened to her even when they were just genin. "I mean you've been under a lot of stress, after the fire and our adjustments to living together, it can't be healthy." He gave her a warm smile and Sakura nodded in agreement. There was no doubt he was right about that, but her being sick was because of completely different reasons.

"You're absolutely right," Sakura stated and let out a breath, which made Naruto's brows furrow together. "Naruto, I'm not throwing up because of stress and exhaustion. It's morning sickness."

Naruto stopped eating and tilted his head, "morning sickness?" he repeated.

"Yeah," Sakura answered quietly with and nod. Naruto's blue eyes began widening and he opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. "I'm...I'm pregnant, Naruto." She looked into his eyes and he let out a breath.

That was not at all what he was expecting to hear at dinner. He wasn't even sure if he heard her right to begin with. "You're pregnant?" he repeated nearly breathless and Sakura pressed her lips together in a firm line, nodding her head slowly.

"I had hoped it was because of exhaustion and stress, but it wasn't," Sakura began and Naruto looked at her as she continued, "I took three pregnancy test today and they all came out positive," she looked away from him and brushed her hair behind her ear, "look, I understand that it's scary and all...and really you can be as involved as you want."

"Why are you acting like I'm going to leave you?" Naruto asked, catching Sakura off guard. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it and shrugged her shoulders. "After loving you for eight and a half years, do you really think I would do that to you?" he asked with a raised brow, almost hurt by the thought of that.

"No, it's not that..." Sakura trailed, shaking her head.

"Sakura, I love you. I love you so much and I would never in a million years leave you alone to raise our child," Naruto assured her with this glowing sincerity in his eyes. That look and the way he smiled at that moment instantly comforted her and put her nerves at ease. She was so afraid to tell him, afraid that he would flip out, but he remained calm...or well he seemed to be calm. On the inside he was probably going crazy and wondering what he was going to do. "You're really pregnant?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm really pregnant," Sakura replied and Naruto beamed, jumping up from his seat. His action surprised her, but she squealed when he picked her up from her chair and spun her around in the middle of the kitchen. She started laughing and he finally stopped spinning her about, gently placing her back down. He kept his arms around her and stared into those beautiful green eyes.

"While the timing isn't all that great, I'm happy," Naruto told her and Sakura smiled as he leaned down and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair and bit his lip playfully. When they pulled apart, Naruto cupped her face in his hands and smiled once again. "Not the news I was expecting today, but this is wonderful news." He pulled her into a hug and she sighed in relief, all her tension just melted away.

Knowing that Naruto was happy about it made her happy too. She was just as excited as he was. He was right the timing wasn't great, but still it was wonderful news. As they pulled apart, Sakura touched his face and they stared into each other's eyes.

"I was so worried you would freak out," Sakura admitted with a light laugh.

"Oh I am, but I'm so excited that it's trumping away all my freaking out," Naruto explained to her and Sakura giggled. She got onto her tiptoes and kissed his lips. "But I planned on having kids with you someday, my wish is finally coming true, I guess." He gave her a lopsided grin and Sakura hugged him tightly.

Maybe the timing wasn't perfect.

Maybe they were still too young for a child.

Maybe things would get harder and scarier.

All that just didn't seem to matter in that moment though as they held each other in the middle of the kitchen. Right then and there Sakura's doubts and fears just faded away. All that she felt was joy and excitement, she would be having a child.

Their child.

Naruto's child. She couldn't believe it was actually happening. Things would surely start changing for the two of them, but she wouldn't be afraid. As long as Naruto was at her side and as long as he was there for her, she would be just fine. And even if he decided not to be, Sakura knew she would still be okay. No matter what that child, that baby would be loved and cared for.

"This is terrifying," Sakura said when she pulled away from Naruto, placing her hand on her stomach. The blond man smiled and put his hand on top of hers.

"We're in this together," Naruto whispered into her ear, kissing her temple.

"Just think in about seven and a half months we'll have a baby," Sakura said with a smile, meeting Naruto's eyes. "Still not freaking out?" she asked.

"I think I need to sit down for a second," Naruto replied as he staggered over to the couch and sat down, causing Sakura to laugh.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well you all must have assumed this chapter was coming, haha! Hopefully it was still pleasant to read. Thank you all so very much for all the comments on the last chapter, they put a smile on my face. So I will not be able to update this story again until the 2nd, I apologize in advance. But I promise there will be an update on October 2nd, so just be patient! Leave some love everyone! Until the next chapter!


	16. Chapter 16

**The Small Bump**

The winter winds whipped through the trees of Konoha that afternoon. Naruto and Sakura were going to see the hospital to make sure that everything was okay. As they were walking down the streets, Naruto and Sakura were talking about how things were going to be changing in their lives. First and foremost, Sakura was afraid to tell her parents, which was the current topic they were on.

"Here's the plan," Sakura started and Naruto smirked at her. She was trying to come up with every possible option to not tell her parents. At the present moment the only ones aware of her being pregnant were Ino, Naruto, and herself. As it was, the pinkette was already nervous to go to the hospital because Tsunade would find out. The last thing Sakura wanted was a lecture about not using protection and being too young. Tsunade was like a second mother to Sakura and she most certainly was a mother to Naruto, telling her would be catastrophic. "We hide from my parents for the next like six years and then the baby will tell them that we had him or her out of wedlock."

"You seriously think that would work?" Naruto asked with a skeptical look on his face. Sakura was smiling and sighed, shaking her head. The blond man beside her chuckled and put his arm around her shoulder, kissing her temple. "What is it with you and your parents anyways? They really aren't so bad, maybe a little intense, but they aren't all bad." Naruto shrugged his shoulders and Sakura agreed with him.

Her parents weren't bad, they were actually nice people. They just had very strong opinions and if they found out she and Naruto were having a child out of wedlock they would throw a fit. Whether Naruto was a great man or not, her father would beat him senseless. Her parents loved her and they would be happy for her, but they would say it was too soon, they were too young, and completely unprepared. Sakura couldn't argue about that either, because they would be so very right about it all. Her and Naruto had only been together for three months and now Sakura was two months pregnant. That didn't exactly say, mom and dad, you taught me well. If there was one thing Sakura's parents always pounded into her head, it was to always use protection. Especially when she turned thirteen and everyone was going through their freaky puberty stages.

"I love my parents, but I mean telling them I'm pregnant out of wedlock will surely crush them," Sakura explained as she rested her head against Naruto's body. "The one thing they pounded into my head is to use protection and I had been meaning to get on birth control, but it sort of slipped my mind."

"I hope you have a better explanation to give your parents," Naruto said as they walked around a corner, the hospital just up ahead.

"I was going to say you lied about having a condom on," Sakura teased and Naruto sputtered, rolling his blue eyes. The pinkette giggled and stopped walking. She looked up at Naruto, who stared down at her in confusion. "Be honest, is this really what you want?" Sakura asked and Naruto gave her a soft smile, touching the side of her face with his warm fingers. She closed her eyes at his touch, which felt so good against her skin that was cold from the chilly wind whipping past them.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Naruto assured her and Sakura's green eyes locked with his. "Well, that's not true I wish we were older, but I always intended on having children with you." He kissed her lips, cupping her face in his hands. Sakura smiled against the kiss and deepened it, running her fingers over the soft fabric of his sweater. When they pulled apart, Naruto laced his fingers with Sakura and they continued onwards to the hospital hand in hand.

"We'll figure out a way to tell my parents," Sakura said as they entered the courtyard of the hospital. "But we should really be worried about Lady Tsunade."

"Oh don't remind me," Naruto groaned, letting his head fall between his shoulders. The pinkette giggled softly and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "If she kills me, make sure our child knows I love them and that I was the coolest ninja ever and-"

Sakura kissed him and Naruto kissed her back. They were just steps away from the hospital doors and Sakura pulled away from his soft lips. "She won't kill you, she loves you. Just in violent ways," Sakura teased and Naruto rolled his eyes as Sakura pulled him into the hospital.

"Well it's a good thing we're in a hospital so I can receive instant emergency care," Naruto joked and Sakura smiled as they walked up to the nurse's station. Sakura signed herself in and walked back over to the waiting area. "What about you, Sakura?" Naruto asked when the pinkette took a seat beside him.

"What about me?" she asked with a smile, crossing one leg over the other.

"Is this what you want?" Naruto questioned, looking at her expectantly.

"Like you I wish we were older, but yes this what I want," Sakura replied truthfully and Naruto kissed her forehead. She smiled and touched the side of his face before sitting back in her chair. Letting out a breath, Sakura looked around the familiar room. The natural lighting from outside bled through the light blue blinds on the rectangular windows, the white and grey speckled linoleum floor reflected the fluorescent lights above, and the quiet footfalls of the nurses echoed in her ears. She stared at the boring off white walls and the fake potted plants scattered about the room.

"I better have read those charts wrong, you two," Tsunade's voice came from behind. Naruto stiffened and Sakura slowly turned around to look at the blonde busty woman. Her amber eyes were boring into them with both anger and annoyance. "Come with me." The woman's heels started clicking on the floor as she walked towards the maternity wing of the hospital.

"Come on, Naruto," Sakura said as she got up and followed behind the woman quickly. Getting up, Naruto followed behind and watched the blonde woman leading them down the hallway. "If you survive Lady Tsunade's wrath, you'll survive my parents." Sakura took hold of his hand and he nodded stiffly.

"Oh great, so I get to do this twice," Naruto whispered into Sakura's ear. The pinkette gave Naruto a soft smile and turned to look back at Tsunade, who walked into a vacant room. As the entered the small room, Tsunade was standing at the window. Naruto shut the door quietly and exchanged glances with Sakura. "Um, Granny-"

"Pregnant! Naruto when I said enjoy the finer things in life this is not what I meant!" Tsunade barked and the blond man shrank back. Sakura's mouth opened, but it quickly shut when she met Tsunade eyes when she turned quickly. "I mean, I'm happy for you guys, but this is much too soon!" the older woman barked and they both looked away sheepishly.

"It wasn't planned," Naruto muttered.

"Well, no kidding," Tsunade sighed, shaking her head with her hands on her hips. Sakura smiled at her mentor and walked over to the small bed, taking a seat on it. "You silly kids." The blonde woman chuckled and took a seat on the stool next to the bed. She looked at her apprentice and slowly glanced over to Naruto, who was still standing at the door, ready to charge out if need be.

"It'll be okay, Lady Tsunade," Sakura said gently, earning a soft smile from Tsunade. The older woman had no doubt that Sakura and Naruto loved each other, but she just didn't believe they were ready, most of all Naruto. "We're scared, but we want this to work." Sakura smiled and Tsunade put a hand on her apprentice's knee and nodded her head in understanding.

"Alright, well let's see what we're dealing with here," Tsunade said with a smile as she moved over to an ultra sound monitor. "Naruto stop standing over there like a scared child and get over here."

"Only if you promise not to hit me or something," Naruto replied sheepishly, but when he saw the woman's glare he quickly jumped across the room to stand beside Sakura. "I mean, I'll stand right here." He stood behind the bed and placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder. She smiled back at him and laid her head on his hand before looking to Tsunade.

"Alright Sakura, lay back for me," Tsunade commanded and the pinkette nodded her head, laying back on the bed. Taking the device, Tsunade placed it on Sakura's exposed stomach and moved it around slowly. "Oh here we go," Tsunade smiled as she stared at the screen and pressed a button. She moved the device a bit more on Sakura's stomach and clicked the button once more.

Naruto leaned forward and looked on the screen, seeing a mixture of black, gray, and white color tones. "Wow," Naruto breathed as tsunade pointed to a small spot on the screen shaped like a peanut. "Is that it, Granny?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, that's it," Tsunade smiled and looked at the two of them. "And it looks like your about two and a half months along." She took the device off of Sakura's stomach and placed it on a small hook before turning back to the young expecting couple.

Naruto smiled brightly and looked to Sakura, who had both hands over her mouth and tears forming in her eyes. Tsunade smiled at the two and nodded her head. Sakura laughed lightly and shook her head, letting her hands fall away from her mouth. "Oh my goodness," Sakura breathed and looked to Naruto, who leaned down and kissed her cheek before looking back at the screen. "That's amazing," Sakura said to Tsunade, who nodded her head in agreement as she looked back at the screen.

"While I do not condone this," Tsunade began as she stood up and looked down at the young parents to be, "congratulations you two." She put a hand on Sakura's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze and looked at Naruto, who smiled warmly in hopes that Tsunade would not scold him.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade," Sakura said kindly as she pulled down her shirt and sat up. Nodding her head, Tsunade hit a button on a small rectangular like machine and it printed out the image on the screen. The blonde woman handed it to the two of them and smiled once again as they admired the image.

"Schedule another appointment a month from now up front, okay?" Tsunade asked.

"Of course," Sakura replied with a nod and looked back at Naruto, who was smiling like an idiot as he stared at the picture in his hands.

* * *

"We have to document this," Naruto said as he watched Sakura looking at herself in the mirror. She had her shirt lifted and ran her hand over her belly that had the smallest baby bump. Her green eyes met his blue ones and she smiled warmly, looking back into the mirror. She was now officially three months and five days along. "We should take a picture every week."

"Yeah, let's do it," Sakura agreed with a bright smile as she let her shirt back down and walked back over to Naruto. He put his arms around her and kissed her lips gently. Snaking her arms around his torso, Sakura laid her head on his chest and took in a deep breath. He smelled like ramen, but then again he always smelled like ramen to her. It was just his permeant scent since he spent so much time at Ichiraku. "I think it's time we told my parents."

"I think it is too," Naruto agreed as they walked across the hallway to the bedroom. "We could tell them tomorrow, Konohamaru is on a mission and Granny is giving me the day off." He sat down on the edge of the bed and Sakura stood in front of him, holding onto his hands.

"Okay, we can tell them at lunch," Sakura said with a nod and Naruto smiled at her. "This is exciting, isn't it?" she asked as she crawled onto the bed and laid flat on her back. Naruto laid beside her and put his hand on her stomach, gently rubbing it. Sakura smiled at him and sighed softly, closing her eyes.

"We'll need a bigger place," Naruto commented and Sakura's eyes opened.

"You're right," Sakura agreed with a nod. "We'll need a lot of things and money." She shook her head just thinking about how much everything would cost once the baby was finally born. Formula, diapers, daycare, toys, clothes, and medical bills it was a lot to think about.

"We'll be okay," Naruto said with a smile and Sakura smiled back. "I'm going to make sure of that." Resting her head on Naruto's chest, Sakura let out a relaxed breath and snuggled into him.

"I'm really glad you are here," Sakura whispered and Naruto put his hand on her back, pulling her a little closer to him.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he whispered back and Sakura laughed lightly. She lifted her head and looked down at him. He stared back up at her and stroked her cheek in an affectionate manner. "You're going to be a great mom," he told her and Sakura tilted her head slightly and smiled.

"You think so?" Sakura asked him.

"I know so," he replied with a wink and Sakura giggled, resting her chin on his chest. He studied her face, watching the way her hair fell into her green eyes, and followed the curve of her lips and eyes. "He or she is going to love you," he told her and Sakura bit her lip, feeling the giddiest building up inside of her.

"I want him or her to be happy and healthy," Sakura whispered as she turned her head to rest it on Naruto's chest. He ran his fingers through her hair gently, soothing her. "You'll be a great dad." Naruto stifled a laugh and closed his eyes as he continued to run his fingers through her hair.

"Do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Well," Sakura began as she lifted her head to look at Naruto's face, "I think it's going to be a boy."

"Why do you think that?" Naruto inquired with a raised brow. Not that he would mind at all, he would love to have a little boy. He would teach him to be strong and become an amazing ninja just like he was.

"I'm not sure, I just think it will be. What about you?" Sakura asked.

"I want a sweet, little beautiful, baby girl, one just like you," Naruto replied and Sakura blushed, burying her face in his chest. Sometimes when he said things like that she had a hard time believing he was the same goofy kid she knew from her genin days. "But if it's a boy, I'll raise him to be just like me."

"Oh boy," Sakura chuckled and Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't that bad," Naruto interjected with a snort.

"Iruka-sensei says you were the reason he got gray hairs so early," Sakura teased and the blond man began to laugh. "That's alright if he's just like you, I'll still love him."

"Me too," Naruto replied with a soft smile. He kissed the top of Sakura's head and looked at the clock on the night stand by the bed. "We better get some sleep, if we're going to lunch with your parents tomorrow." Sakura sat up and looked to see that it was almost midnight.

"You're right, let's go to bed." She crawled up towards the pillows and pulled back the blankets to lay down beneath them. Naruto watched Sakura for a moment before he followed in suit and laid beside her. He laid his arm out and Sakura smiled as she snuggled up next to him. Putting his arm around her, Naruto gently stroked her bare arm and turned off the lamp on the night stand.

"Goodnight," Naruto whispered in her ear. "I love you and our baby." He kissed the top of her head and Sakura smiled, returning the same words to him before she slowly drifted off the the sound of his breathing.

* * *

It was 2:23 in the morning when Sakura felt a sharp pain. She shot up and placed hand on her stomach. Breathing heavily, Sakura tried to relax, but the sharp pain was not subsiding. She felt something warm on her legs and gasped. It was sticky and that's when she realized it was blood. Stiffening, Sakura began to panic and moved the sheets seeing the blood on her legs. Licking her lips, Sakura reached for Naruto and gently shook him.

"Naruto," Sakura said in a raspy voice as she gently shook his shoulder. "Naruto." Sakura began to shake a bit and Naruto groaned as he lifted his head. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Naruto looked at Sakura as she stared down at her legs.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" Naruto asked in a tired voice still not sure what was going on. Turning on the lamp on the bedside table, Naruto looked back at Sakura and stiffened. "Oh God," Naruto breathed when he saw the blood on Sakura's legs. The pinkette looked at Naruto as he got out of the bed and went over to her side.

"We have to go to the hospital," Sakura said, her voice cracking as she looked at Naruto. He nodded his head and ran over to the closet to grab a shirt and two jackets for the two of them. When he came back, Sakura was getting up and held her stomach. "Let me get out of these clothes." She slowly made her way to the bathroom and Naruto stood right beside her.

When she got into the bathroom, Sakura grabbed a towel and turned on the sink. Wetting the towel a bit, Sakura wiped the blood from her legs and slipped out of her pajama bottoms and underwear. Naruto went back across the hallway to get her some fresh clean clothes. When he came back he looked at Sakura who was trying her hardest not to cry, she knew something was wrong. Sakura could feel that something just wasn't right. With the pain and the blood, she knew nothing good could come of it.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked her as she slipped on her clean clothes gingerly. Her green eyes were tearing up and Naruto could tell that she was scared. He moved closer to her and pulled her into his arms, giving her a comforting hug, trying to sooth her. "Come on, let's go." When he pulled away he took hold of her hand and held it tight. He had to be strong for her, because he knew that she was terrified.

"I'm scared," Sakura said when they got outside in the cold lonely air. Naruto didn't want to admit that he was too, but he couldn't help himself. He told her that he was too, but he would be right there with her no matter one. She nodded her head and Naruto let out a breath to calm his nerves before scooping her into his arms.

Sakura gripped onto his jacket and Naruto looked at her. His heart sank when he saw the single tear fall from Sakura's eye and roll down her cheek. He hoped and prayed that everything would be okay and jumped across from roof to roof, racing towards the hospital.

* * *

Sakura and Naruto were in the emergency room, she was in one of those light blue hospital gowns and had an IV stuck into her skin. She was laying back on the bed and had hardly said a word since they arrived. Naruto was sitting in the chair beside her bed, his fingers laced together with his head rested on his knuckles. He watched as the nurses walked about checking on other patients and going over charts at the station just down the hallway. Naruto wanted to know what was happening, but deep down he already had a feeling.

Sakura's eyes ventured up towards the entrance of her room. She stared out the door and saw Tsunade coming their way. Letting out a shaky breath, Sakura felt her eyes watering when she caught the sad look on Tsunade's face. Naruto quickly stood up as the woman entered the room, holding a clipboard in the bend of her arm. Swallowing hard, Sakura stared at Tsunade, who let out a heavy breath.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, I'm afraid your baby is gone."

Those words stabbed right through the young girl's heart. Her tears began spilling from her eyes and sobs shook her body. She pulled her knees into her chest and covered her face with her hands. Sakura never expected it to hurt so much, to lose someone she had yet to meet. The pain was intense and hurt a hundred time more than when Sasuke left the village. Never had Sakura experienced such grief and sadness.

She could hear no one, she could feel nothing, all she could do was sit on that hospital bed and cry. Her tears blurred her vision so badly that she couldn't even see anything, it was all blurry shapes and figures. The saltiness of her tears came onto her tongue as she wailed at the lost of her and Naruto's unborn child. Nothing in the world could have prepared her for this, no one could understand the grief she felt.

She would never be able to meet their child. She wouldn't be able to feel him or her kick and she wouldn't be able to touch their face. The first child she ever could have had and in and instance they were just gone. Sakura continued to sob and weep over her loss, she didn't know what else to do or say. She didn't expect to feel this way, but it hit her like a brick wall. All she wanted to do was cry and scream.

"I'm sorry...Naruto," Sakura choked out.

"No...Sakura, no." Naruto got up from his chair and wrapped her up in his arms. He rocked her gently and soothingly rubbed her back, trying to calm her as best he could. While he too felt saddened by the lost of their unborn child, he knew that it shattered Sakura. Kissing the top of her head, Naruto whispered that everything would be okay. The pinkette wrapped her arms around him and continued to sob into his chest.

"It's all...it's all my fault," Sakura weeped into his chest.

"Don't you dare start thinking that, Sakura. This was not your fault," Naruto said as he pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. They were red and swollen filled to the brim with sorrow filled tears. "It's not your fault, Sakura." He wiped away her tears with his thumb.

She knew he was right, but she couldn't help but feel like she did something wrong.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I was able to get to this story earlier than planned, so yay. What did you guys think? I'm very grateful for all the support everyone, it means a lot.


	17. Chapter 17

**The Tears**

Naruto was standing at the top of the Hokage Tower, leaning against the railing and staring out at the village. Two nights ago Naruto and Sakura loss their unborn child and it had devastated Sakura. He was so worried about her, she cried the entire night when it happened and most of the following day. Now though, she was very taciturn and still, almost as though she were a statute. He didn't want to leave her when had had woken up this morning, but she insisted that he should go. Sakura telling him that he should go to work was the most she had said to him in forty-eight hours.

Gripping the railing, Naruto cursed under his breath and shook his head. Losing the child struck him deep and the wound was still healing. He knew that he would never understand the pain Sakura felt, but he knew how badly it hurt. Naruto tried to comfort Sakura, telling her everything would be okay and that it wasn't her fault, but the guilt was taking over her. He asked Tsunade what to do, but all she could tell him was that Sakura needed time to grieve. Naruto understood that, he really did, but he hated that Sakura blamed herself.

She told him the night they came home after they found out that it was her fault. She said she didn't do enough to make sure they baby was healthy. He tried so hard to tell her otherwise, but it fell on deaf ears. No amount of comfort or kind words seemed to help at all. He didn't know what to say anymore, all he could do was be there for her. Naruto felt as though it wasn't enough though. He wanted to take all her pain away, but only time could do that. Sighing softly, Naruto let go of the railing and ran his fingers through his blond hair.

The quiet sound of footfalls came to his ears and he slowly turned around. His eyes fell upon his mentor/older brother figure, Iruka Umino. He'd hardly changed at all since Naruto was a student at the academy. Naruto sighed softly and turned away from Iruka as his dark eyed, brown-haired mentor with the scar over the bridge of his nose stood beside him. Iruka leaned on the railing and glanced at Naruto, who had misty eyes. His mentor didn't say a word, he simply put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and turned him. They hugged for a moment and Iruka patted Naruto's back.

"Did the old lady tell you?" Naruto asked sadly as he and Iruka pulled apart. The brown haired man with a lightly tanned skin nodded slowly. The blond sighed softly and couldn't hold his tears anymore. Iruka frowned and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, getting the young man to lift his head.

"It'll be okay," Iruka assured him in a comforting tone. Naruto nodded and wiped away his tears. "It just wasn't the right time, but it will come again." He put a hand on Naruto's head and ruffled up his hair as if he was a young child again.

"I'm just really worried about Sakura, I know that it just wasn't the right time and everything...but Sakura, she's just...I've never seen her so sad before," Naruto admitted with a frown and Iruka nodded in understanding. It was something they would never understand, sure they would feel the pain and sadness, but not at the level the mother felt. "I wish there was something I could do, she keeps apologizing and saying it's her fault." Naruto let his shoulders slouch and Iruka took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"All I can say is that you just need to be there for her," Iruka replied softly, knowing it wasn't exactly the best advice. He wasn't really sure how to advise Naruto to begin with, he'd never had this experience before, but he was sure it wasn't an easy one. "In time, Sakura will realize it wasn't her fault. Until that time, you have to be the one to make her understand that."

* * *

Sakura sat morosely by the window, staring out at the park across the street from the apartment. It was small and pleasant, a decent place to sit and enjoy the cool air. There were some swings and a slide along with a sand box and some teeter-totters. She'd been to the park a few times when she wanted to sit outdoors and soak up the sun. Normally she'd sit on the old wooden bench under the shade of the old willow tree. Her green eyes caught sight of a woman and her two children coming into the park.

Two boys and from the look of it another on the way. The mother took a seat at the old wooden bench and watched her two kids with a smile on her face. Sakura looked away sadly. That could have been her, but not any longer. Deep down inside the pinkette knew that her time would come, but that didn't change the fact she lost a life. Sakura couldn't help, but wonder what he or she would have been like. Would he or she have grown up to be loud and boisterous like Naruto? Would he or she have been smart and shy like she was when she was a little girl? Would they have had her eyes or Naruto's eyes?

Sakura didn't realize she was crying until she felt a drop fall onto her hand. Sighing softly, Sakura wiped away her tears and moved away from the window. Tsunade had told her to take as much time off as she needed. Part of her wanted to go back to work just so she would have something to keep her mind off of the loss. The other part of her though just wanted to lay in bed all day and dream about what could have been.

Naruto had tried his best to comfort her and she knew that he hated seeing her like this, but it was just hard to move on. Sakura decided to make herself some tea and found herself in the kitchen, heating up some water in a kettle. Leaning back on the counter, Sakura heard a knock on the door and pulled her lumpy pale pink sweater closer to her body. She knew she looked like a mess and didn't really want to see or talk to anyone, but she went to the door anyways. Unlocking the bolt, Sakura twisted the handle and pulled the door open slowly.

"Mommy?" Sakura questioned softly as her mother stood there with a soft smile on her face.

"I ran into Naruto at the market," Mebuki explained and Sakura looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry you had to experience something like this sweetheart." The pinkette closed her eyes and felt a few more tears slide down her cheeks.

"Please come in," Sakura said, stepping aside to allow her mother into the apartment. Nodding her head, Mebuki stepped inside and Sakura quietly shut the door while Mebuki took off her coat. She hung it up on the coat hanger by the door and turned back to Sakura, who looked like she hadn't slept a wink in days. "I was making some tea," Sakura said in a raspy voice and Mebuki nodded as they went into the small kitchen.

The pinkette went to get some mugs ready while her mother took a seat at the table. Her eyes were locked on Sakura, the way she moved was so robotic and lazy, it was obvious she was exhausted. Naruto had warned Mebuki that Sakura was not at all like herself and she expected that after she discovered the tragedy. It was worst than she had been anticipating though, Sakura was pale and sickly, Mebuki doubted that she had even eaten much. She knew her daughter though, she knew she would get through this.

"Was it something I did?" Sakura asked softly and her mother frowned. "Is it my fault, mom?"

"No, baby, it was not your fault at all," Mebuki said, getting up from her seat. She walked over to Sakura and pulled her into a warm embrace. The pinkette sobbed quietly into her mom's shoulder and held her tight. "Don't blame yourself, Sakura, this happens and you did nothing wrong." Her mother rubbed her daughter's back and rocked her slightly like she used to when Sakura was a baby. Seeing her daughter like this broke her heart, but she had to be strong for Sakura.

"I really wanted to have the baby," Sakura cried. Mebuki pulled away from Sakura and looked into those teary green eyes. Wiping away Sakura's tears, her mother gave her a comforting smile and nodded her head knowingly. Fixing up the pinkette's hair, Mebuki shushed her and hugged her tightly. "Why did this happen, mommy?" Sakura asked and sniffled.

"It just wasn't your time, Sakura. The thing to remember, though is that you will be a mother someday. That baby just wasn't meant for you and Naruto...and it wasn't anything that you or him did wrong. Sometimes these things just happen even when you do everything right," Mebuki replied calmly as she continued to hug Sakura. "I know it hurts and it's hard, but it will be okay and your time will come. You are not alone in this, many women experience this and it's sad, but when the time is right...you'll be a mom." Pulling away from her daughter, Mebuki put a hand under her daughter's chin so they were looking each other in the eye. Smiling softly, Mebuki stroked the side of her daughter's cheek and pulled her into another comforting hug.

No matter what Mebuki would say to Sakura it would not help, but she still felt the need to share that with her daughter. She wanted Sakura to know that everything would be okay, because it would be. Rubbing circles into her daughter's back, Mebuki started to hum a lullaby she used to sing to Sakura when she was just a baby. The pinkette's soft sobs started to lessen and she just listen to her mother's gentle humming.

* * *

Naruto stood in front of the door to the apartment for a few moments before he finally decided to unlock the door and walk in. He didn't want to see Sakura teary eyed anymore, it broke his heart. It was just as Iruka had told him though, he had to be strong for Sakura. When he walked into the apartment it was quiet and dark inside, bleak and lonely, as if he'd walked into an asylum of sorts. The blond's blue eyes searched the living area for a figure to be asleep on the couch or crying by the window overlooking the park, but Sakura was not there. Becoming a bit worried, Naruto walked further into his apartment and stopped when he saw Mebuki Haruno at his kitchen table.

Her hands were tightly wrapped around her coffee mug and her eyes were downcast towards the surface of the table. Naruto pulled off his coat and folded it over his arm as he came into the kitchen. The older woman still hadn't noticed him yet, but he could see it was because she was deep in thought. He assumed that she was thinking about Sakura and the terrible state she was in. Not wanting to startle her, Naruto made his presence known by clearing his throat and stepping into the kitchen. Mebuki's eyes flickered over to him and she licked her lips, bring the coffee cup up to her lips. She took a quick sip and sighed softly as she turned to Naruto.

"She's asleep," Mebuki told him and Naruto sighed in relief. He took a seat at the table across from Mebuki and laid his coat on the table. "She'll be okay, Naruto." Mebuki gave him a soft smile and the blond nodded his head.

"Sakura's tough," Naruto commented and Mebuki agreed with him on that. "Thank you for coming to see her."

"Of course," Mebuki replied softly, bringing the mug up to her lips.

"She was really excited, you know," Naruto said, running his fingers through his hair. The older woman on the other side of the table nodded her head knowingly and put her coffee mug down on the table. "We were going to tell you and Mr. Haruno the next day, but then..." Naruto trailed off and buried his face in his hands, rubbing his tired eyes.

"It's unfortunate, but these things do happen," Mebuki said softly and Naruto let his hands fall down to the table. He looked at the woman and she gave him a sympathetic smile. "When the time is right, it'll happen."

Naruto nodded his head.

"She loves you, Naruto, so much..and that's part of why it hurts so much," Mebuki explained to him and the blond looked at her. "Just be strong for her, I know you are hurting too, but you being there will help."

"I just don't want her to blame herself," Naruto admitted with a sigh.

"I know," Mebuki whispered sadly. "She'll stop, but right now she just needs to grieve."

"I feel like anything I say isn't enough," Naruto muttered and the older woman frowned. She understood why he felt that way, but she knew that Naruto's reassuring words were still a comfort to Sakura even if it didn't appear to be. "I hate seeing her like this." Naruto shook his head and leaned forward on the table, lacing his fingers together.

"She'll be alright," Mebuki said, staring at a spot on the wall. She knew then that it was time for her to take her leave. "I'll be going now, I'll come back tomorrow to check on her. You both need to rest." Mebuki got up from her seat and walked over to Naruto. She put her hand on his shoulder and he looked up at her, mouthing a thank you. The older woman nodded her head in response and quietly left the apartment.

When the door closed the only sounds Naruto could hear was the ticking of the clock on the wall and the echo of the water dripping from the leaky faucet. The world around him was dark and gloomy, life that was once colorful was fading to gray. Getting up from his chair, Naruto ventured down the hallway to the bedroom. When he got to the door, he pushed it open quietly and saw Sakura laying on her side of the bed. He smiled warmly and made his way over to the bed.

As he stood at the edge of the bed, he listened to the soft sound of her breath, watching her chest raise and fall. Still he could see the bags under her eyes, this was the first time she had slept since they left the hospital. He prayed that when she awoke she would be willing to eat something. Pulling off his t-shirt, Naruto let it fall to the ground and crawled onto the bed. He moved gently to make sure he wouldn't wake Sakura, although he was certain she was out for the rest of the night.

When Naruto laid down beside her, he watched her sleeping peacefully. He reached for the stray strand of hair that was laying across her cheek. Moving it behind her ear gently, Naruto leaned over and brushed his lips on her temple. Sakura stirred a bit, but she never woke up. Smiling at her, Naruto sank back into the pillows and looked up at the ceiling. He could feel her body heat radiating onto him, which was comforting to him.

"N-Naruto," Sakura muttered in her sleep and he looked over at her. She curled up on her side and Naruto closed his eyes once she settled down. "Naruto..."

"I'm right here," he whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading everyone! I'm glad the last chapter was so well recieved and hopefully this one was as well. Don't worry the happy times will return. Anyways, I really want to thank all of you for being so supportive with this story, it's really helped me keep it going. Also I would like to give a special thanks to the **Anon **reviewer, I was touched by the kindness of your review, so thank you very much for your feedback and taking the time to write it, seriously I was amazed by your compliments. As always, I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	18. Chapter 18

**The Lego House**

Time heals all things, piece by piece, just like building up a lego house. It was late winter in Konoha, in a couple of weeks it would be spring and that meant only one thing. New beginnings. The flowers and trees would be in full bloom, warmer weather would be upon them, and most importantly the Spring Festival would be taking place. It was the talk of the village, the Festival that is. Everyone was so excited for spring to be just around the corner. There would be fireworks, pinwheels, delicious food, dancing, and singing; it would be an amazing night. A night of fun and love, something that Sakura would need. It had been a month since she the loss of the baby and she was finally starting to get back to her normal self.

She started doing yoga in the living room again, which Naruto always appreciated, and she had started working at the hospital again. The tears had stopped and the sadness was going away, which everyone was happy to see. Even Sasuke had made a remark that Sakura's smile was brighter lately. At the present time, Sakura was working at the hospital and Naruto was out at the training grounds with Sasuke.

The Uchiha had his lightning like chakra surging through his katana while Naruto was across the way crouched on one knee, panting heavily. They had been at it for about three hours and it didn't seem like they planned on stopping anytime soon. Holding his hand out, Naruto formed the Rasengan and Sasuke smirked, flipping the blade around in his hand. The two charged at each other and in the blink of an eye they were at each other's throats. Smirking, the blond vanished into thin air and Sasuke ducked down, sweeping his blade all the way around. Naruto dodged the blade and went in for the attack.

Sasuke used his blade to shield himself, focusing all his chakra into the blade. A blinding light filled the area and a massive gush of wind shot through the open field and surrounding forest.

"Almost had me that time," Sasuke panted as he was crouched down on the ground his katana out of his hands and sticking out of the ground several yards away from where he was. Sweat trailed down his chin and he smirked at Naruto, who had entered Sage mode and was standing across from him, panting just as heavily. "Maybe you should have kept that fox inside of you," Sasuke chuckled as he got to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Kurama deserved his freedom," Naruto retorted as he crossed his arms over his chest, his red and black trench coat flapping in the wind around his feet.

"I never said he didn't," Sasuke stated with a small shrug and went to get his katana. When he grasped the hilt, he pulled it from the earth and examined the blade. Snickering, Sasuke saw a few hairline cracks in the steel and placed it back into his scabbarded. "Granted if you two still worked together, I'd be needing new katana's every time we trained." The Uchiha turned and looked at Naruto who smiled in triumph, breaking or cracking Sasuke's blades always made him feel accomplished.

"He isn't completely gone, I can still summon him if I really needed to," Naruto explained and Sasuke nodded his head knowingly. After the the war, Naruto spent months trying to figure a way to set Kurama free. Tsunade was against it entirely, not because she didn't want the fox free, but because Naruto could lose his life in the process. To say the least he almost did die, but Tsunade and Sakura were able to revive him before all hope was lost. Sasuke still remembered that day perfectly, the day he thought his best friend would die.

"Why did you want to release him anyways? Weren't you two on good terms at the end?" Sasuke questioned as he walked over to a fallen over tree. He took a seat on the mossy surface and looked at Naruto, who rubbed the back of his neck and walked over to him. When the blond sat down he sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"It just felt like the right thing to do," Naruto answered simply. "He earned, I guess you could say."

"Well at least he didn't wage war with everyone afterwards," Sasuke commented, leaning forward on his knees. His dark eyes stared at the small patch of green grass breaking through the dusty brown earth. Naruto remained silent beside him and closed his eyes, listening to the rattling leaves. "What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked and Naruto opened his eyes, giving his friend a quizzical look.

He felt a familiar chakra signature and turned to look over his shoulder as Hinata Hyuga came walking forth. She smiled at the two of them and bowed slightly. Naruto told her she should stop being so formal all the time and just relax because they were all friends. The Hyuga girl smiled and told him she would try her best, causing the blond to chuckle. His blue eyes drifted over to Sasuke, who was watching the girl with this glint in his eyes. It wasn't one of malice or anger, but more of curiosity and playfulness. Something Naruto rarely -if ever- saw within Sasuke's dark eyes that were normally bleak and sullen.

"I think I'm going to go check up on Sakura, I'll see you later," Naruto said as he got to his feet. He waved to the two of them and vanished into a puff of smoke, leaving Hinata and Sasuke alone. Ever since the Halloween party that was several months ago, Hinata and Sasuke had a very intriguing relationship. He was protective of her and they were close and even had more in depth conversations. It was still weird to Sasuke, but for some reason it was seductive to him the feeling he got whenever Hinata was around. He felt this flutter in the pit of his stomach and a warmth, something that he never felt with anyone else.

"I'm sorry to have interrupted your training," Hinata said softly and Sasuke, shook his head. "And I seemed to have scared off your partner." She ran her fingers through her long silky hair, pushing it over her shoulder. Sasuke looked at her, watching her movements with this thirst. She wasn't wearing her normal shinobi attire, this time she was in tight fitting black capri's, heels shinobi sandals, and a purple tank top that softened the curves of her breast and waist.

"What are you doing out here?" Sasuke asked, ripping his eyes away from her.

"I was jogging...and I saw the two of you," Hinata explained in her soft voice, sounding almost afraid of him. Sasuke hated that, he hated that she always shrank back when he asked her questions. Of course, he did always snap at her when he asked the questions, but he did try to keep himself together. "Anyways, I should be going." Her pearl like eyes fell onto Sasuke's handsome face and she smiled kindly.

"Wait," Sasuke said, but he wasn't sure why he was trying to stop her. The Hyuga girl looked at him with a quizzical stare and giggled. Sasuke furrowed his brows at her laughter and stood up from the fallen tree. "Why are you laughing?" he asked curiously, confused entirely. Sasuke wasn't very good at the whole girl thing, he never really had been mostly because he never cared.

"After all this time you seem so unsure of yourself around me, Sasuke," Hinata commented gently and the Uchiha pursed his lips. "I can see it in your expression, you can ask me anything, you know that." They had become good friends, he knew that very well. In a way Hinata was almost as good as friend as Naruto was, but Sasuke just wasn't as open with her. He always kept people at arms length with the exception of Naruto, because that blond knucklehead refused to be kept at that distance.

"Alright then," Sasuke breathed and Hinata waited patiently for him to say something else. "Come to lunch with me." He looked at her, studying her movements that were fidgety as if she were nervous and she had a very faint flush on her cheeks, which intrigued him more.

"Um...well, okay...I'll go to lunch with you," Hinata said with a smile and Sasuke felt his own lips curling into a smile.

* * *

Naruto saw Sakura through a window and smiled, walking over to it. Thankfully the window was open, so Naruto just let him in. When he climbed in and his feet touched the ground, Sakura chunked her clipboard at him. Naruto yelped, ducking just before it came in contact with his face. The pinkette growled at Naruto with a clenched fist and angry eyes, making him want to run back outside. She snorted and shook her head, scolding Naruto for just barging into someone's room so rudely.

"It's just Sai, Sakura," Naruto mumbled, looking over to the pale man lying in the bed. He had his nose buried in a book and didn't even seem to care that Naruto had jumped through the window.

"That doesn't matter, mind your matters, you know better!" Sakura chided, placing her hands on her hips. Naruto sighed in defeat and chuckled lightly, seeing Sakura like this was good. She had been so out of it lately, but hearing her scold him was music to his ears. For the past month Sakura had shut all her emotions down, but it seemed they were coming back. Granted it was anger and frustration, but that was better than nothing at all. "Now go get my clipboard." She pointed to the board with the papers clipped to it, fluttering out in the wind of the courtyard.

Naruto hopped back out into the small courtyard and retrieved the board. When he came back to the room, he handed the board back to Sakura and she took it from him. Sai closed his book and put it down on the bedside table, looking at the couple. Sakura was checking over the paper work and Naruto was watching her with affectionate eyes. The artist in the bed only smiled, happy to see that the two were finally together. After watching the two of them bicker for years like an old married couple, he thought it was pleasant they were on the right track to being an actual married couple.

Sai kept those thoughts to himself though, he didn't want to jinx anything or feel Sakura's wrath. Sakura wrote a few things down and hung the clipboard on the footboard of the bed. She smiled up at Sai and told him that he was doing very well and would be able to return to his usual activities by tomorrow afternoon. He was relieved to hear that, he always got so bored sitting inside hospitals.

"What happened to you anyways?" Naruto asked, looking Sai over.

"Chakra exhaustion," Sai replied simply and Naruto pursed his lips. With Sai now being in ANBU, Naruto hardly saw him. There was the rare occasions that he would join Sasuke and himself in a training session, but Sai was normally off in his own little world. Surprisingly enough though, Naruto and Sai were still good friends, despite the stuff that happened with Sakura. The blond hardly ever thought about it to begin with because he knew now that Sakura was without a doubt devoted to him.

"Naruto what happened to your hand?" Sakura asked, suddenly taking hold of Naruto's bruised and scratched up hand. It was even burned a bit, but Naruto hadn't really noticed how bad it was. He assumed it was from that last attack that he did on Sasuke, the surge of chakra was probably a little too much for a friendly spar.

"Oh, it's nothing," Naruto assured her, not wanting her to worry. Of course, it was too late for that he could see the worry in her eyes and the annoyance brewing as well. Knowing Sakura wasn't going to let him go without an explanation to the injuries on his hand, Naruto sighed and said, "Sasuke and I were just sparring, we got a little carried away." He shrugged his shoulders and Sakura glared at him, shaking her head.

"Seriously! You and Sasuke just don't know when to quit," Sakura huffed as she yanked Naruto over to the chair in the corner of the room, forcing him to sit. "One day you are both going to go too far. You need to be more careful, Naruto!" Sakura scolded him and he tried to fight back his smile and chuckle. The pinkette in her little white nurse uniform went to grab some bandages from the cabinet in the corner of the room.

"You worry too much, Sakura," Naruto chimed, but quickly silenced himself when he saw his girlfriend's dark glare. He turned away and stifled a laugh. His blue eyes looked down at his injured hand and he smiled when Sakura's soft hands touched his. She gingerly examined the bruises, scrapes, and burns before beginning to heal him. Naruto looked at Sakura, watching as she meticulously healed his hand.

"Please be more careful, Naruto," Sakura said suddenly and Naruto looked into her eyes. He could see she was being completely serious, so he smiled and promised he would do his best. Shaking her head, Sakura went back to healing the wounds and Naruto looked over at Sai. The dark haired shinobi only smiled at the two and shook his head before grabbing his book and continuing to read. "There all better," Sakura smiled and smacked his now bandaged hand.

Yelping, Naruto pulled his hand away from Sakura, who was staring at him with narrowed eyes. His wounds screamed out in pain from the stinging strike of Sakura's slap. "It's not very nice to hit an injured person, Sakura." Naruto had tears in his eyes, but the pinkette only snorted and stood up.

"Sai if you need anything just call for me," Sakura said with a smile as she walked out of the room. "Naruto come on, Sai needs to rest." The pinkette left the room and Naruto got up from his chair. He nodded to Sai before he left and quietly pulled the door shut. He looked down the hallway and watched as Sakura made her way down the recovery wing. Following after her, Naruto watched as she took a left down a hallway he wasn't very familiar with. As he followed he soon realized it was the maternity ward.

At the very end of the hallway, Sakura had stopped and was looking through a window into the nursery. She had a small smile on her face and put her hands behind her back, watching the newborns wiggle about in their small beds. Sakura closed her eyes when Naruto's arms snaked around her waist and pulled her back against his strong chest. He kissed her shoulder and kept her in his arms, his blue eyes looking at the newborns for a few moments before he glanced at Sakura.

"Your time will come," Naruto whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek.

"I know that," Sakura said with a smile. "But you can't help, but wonder what it would have been like."

"She would have been beautiful just like you, she would have your hair and my eyes, your smile, and my amazing shinobi abilities," Naruto told her and Sakura laughed lightly. "She would have been perfect."

"Why are you so sure it was a girl?" Sakura asked, glancing at him for a moment.

"I don't know," Naruto replied honestly and Sakura smiled, looking back at the newborns in the nursery. She knew that one day she would have a child with Naruto, nothing would change her mind about that.

"Ino and I are going to go dress shopping tomorrow for the Spring Festival," Sakura announced a smile coming onto her lips. Naruto was happy to see that smile and even happier to know that she would be spending time with Ino, having fun and getting back to her old self.

"Speaking of the Spring Festival," Naruto began with a bright smile, "I think Sasuke is going to ask Hinata not to go as his date." The blond wiggled his brows and Sakura's mouth fell open in surprise.

"How do you know that?" Sakura asked with a smile, she was happy to hear such news. If it was true that was. She remembered the way Sasuke acted around Hinata, protective and he was gentle around her. Normally Sasuke was calm and collected, but around Hinata it was like he was unsure of himself.

"I got a gut feeling," Naruto replied with a shrug and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Well Sasuke should grow some backbone and ask her out, it's so obvious he likes her," Sakura huffed and Naruto chuckled. "If he doesn't ask her I will do it for him." She winked at Naruto and he shook his head, kissing Sakura's forehead.

"This all new to him, give him time," Naruto said to her, but Sakura scowled and pointed out Sasuke had a crush on Hinata since Ino's Halloween party several months ago. "This is Sasuke we're talking about, you realize that."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Sakura sighed in defeat. "There isn't a romantic bone in his body."

"Naruto!" Shikamaru's voice rang from the other end of the hall and the two love birds pulled apart. They looked at Shikamaru as he came walking down the hallway in his jounin gear and stopped a few steps away from them. "Tsunade wants to see you in her office, right now."

"What did I do now?" Naruto grumbled under his breath.

"That's alright, you go I have to get back to work," Sakura said with a smile, getting up on her tiptoes to give him a small peck on the lips. "I'll see you tonight." She waved to him and smiled at Shikamaru before walking in the opposite direction that they were heading in.

* * *

Naruto stared at Tsunade in disbelief and she sat at her desk with a smile on her face. She rested her chin in the palm of her hand and waited for him to speak, but he seemed more or less speechless. Shikamaru was standing behind her and chuckled at Naruto bewildered look. The Hokage sighed softly and leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. Running his fingers through his hair, Naruto cleared his throat and stifled a laugh. He never expected the Hokage to make such a request from him. With her request that meant he wouldn't be able to do all that paperwork she loathed.

"So what's it going to be, Naruto?" Tsunade asked with a smile, her amber eyes watching his mannerisms closely. Licking his lips, Naruto stared at Tsunade for a moment before pursing his lips. "I didn't think you'd be so hesitant about this. Accepting such a job would greatly benefit your training as a shinobi and as a future Hokage." The blonde woman flicked her hair over her shoulder and glanced at Shikamaru, who had recently become her new advisor so that Shizune could head up the Medical Corp.

"This seems like a trick," Naruto pointed out and the older woman snorted.

"It's the building blocks, Naruto. I'm preparing you," Tsunade explained her reasoning and Naruto nodded stiffly. His blue eyes darted over to Shikamaru, who nodded for him to accept the offer. Sighing softly, Naruto looked down at the ground and weighed out his options. Less paperwork from Tsunade, but he'd also have more missions to attend to meaning less time with Sakura. "Naruto in a few years you could very well be the Hokage, you should embrace every opportunity I give you." Tsunade smiled and Naruto sputtered.

"The last time you said that you went on a two week vacation to Crescent Moon Island to gamble and drink while I got stuck with a shit load of paperwork to do," Naruto grumbled and the Hokage started laughing.

"Let bygones be bygones, you little brat!" she growled at him, slamming her hand down on the table. At this point she had his and Shikamaru's undivided attention, which caused her to smirk. "I really do believe you're ready for this, Naruto." She looked him in the eye and nodded for him to accept her offer, which made Naruto sigh. It was something he did think about doing a time or two, he couldn't deny it and it would probably be beneficial for him to accept such a job.

"Well," Naruto paused for a moment and bit his lip. "I guess it wouldn't be so bad to at least give it a try."

"That's what I like to hear," Tsunade replied with a bright smile. "You have time to prepare, the teams won't even be selected until mid-summer anyways." The busty woman laughed lightly at the idea of Naruto leading his very own genin team and being called 'Naruto-sensei', she had to admit it had a nice ring to it.

"Can I pick who's on my team?" Naruto asked.

"No way," Tsunade said and Naruto frowned, she just knew how to suck the fun out of everything. "I'm letting Iruka, Yamato, and Kakashi do that." Naruto's eyed widened and his mouth fell open.

"Oh God," Naruto breathed with a disappointed scowl. "They're going to punish me and get their revenge."

"That's the idea," Tsunade replied with a laugh, winking at the blond man who's shoulder's slumped. "Don't worry, I told them to go easy on you."

"Oh goody," Naruto retorted with an eye roll. Shikamaru chuckled, he could hardly imagine Naruto being an instructor of any sort. Sure he'd trained Konohamaru on a few occasions, but they weren't really a teacher and student combo. "Well is that all you need from me?" Naruto asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his blazer.

"Yes, that's all I wanted," Tsunade said with a nod. Deciding to take his leave, Naruto turned on his heels and ventured out of the office. After agreeing to Tsunade's terms of taking on a genin team, he felt it was customary to celebrate with some ramen from Ichiraku. Once the door shut, Tsunade sighed softly and shook her head. "We'll see how he does as a jounin team leader."

"He should be fine, he's smarter than he looks," Shikamaru commented and Tsunade chuckled at his words.

"Let's not push it now," Tsunade joked and they both began laughing.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well things are looking up again, aren't they? I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to your feedback. Also a special thanks to everyone who takes the time to review, I really appreciate it and it always put a smile on my face and encourages me to continue. So thank you very much! Until the next chapter everyone!

**P.S.** New Naruto and Sakura story coming very soon, like maybe later today or tomorrow. It'll be titled **Light Me Up**. There is a summary on my profile page if you are interested!


	19. Chapter 19

**The Spring Festival**

"Sakura," Sasuke's called out and she turned around before heading into the grocery store. She smiled at the dark haired man as he came towards her. It looked like something was on his mind and it made Sakura smirk. Seeing a flustered Uchiha was a rare sight and Sakura loved it. He stopped a few steps away from her and rubbed the back of his neck, looking unsure of himself. Sakura raised a brow at him and crossed her arms over her chest, popping her hip out. "I need to ask you something."

"Okay, what is it?" Sakura smiled.

"Well," Sasuke began and looked around, making Sakura chuckle, "I need...advice." The Uchiha looked a bit ashamed that he was asking for help in the first place. Sakura blinked a few times and made the connection. Maybe after all this time he was finally going to ask Hinata out on a date. The Spring Festival was in a couple of days there was a good chance he was going to ask Hinata to go with him.

"Advice?" Sakura repeated, batting her lashes. Sasuke scowled and was about to walk off, but Sakura grabbed his wrist and apologized. "Come on, tell me. I want to know." She pulled him across the street to a small cafe and sat him down at an empty table for two. When they were both sitting down, Sakura propped her elbows up on the table and leaned forward. Sasuke stared at Sakura for a moment with those onyx eyes of his and huffed, knowing it was too late to turn back now.

"Okay don't get all Sakura on me about this though, alight?" Sasuke hissed with narrowed eyes and Sakura sighed.

"I am me, so a Sakura reaction is all you get," Sakura chuckled and the Uchiha groaned. "Well come on, what's going on?" she smiled at him and brushed a strand of her pink hair behind her ear.

"The Spring Festival," Sasuke began and Sakura nodded her head, hoping to hear that he wanted to take Hinata. "I was planning on going."

"With Hinata?" Sakura tried and the Uchiha glared at her, but she only laughed. "I think you should." Her green eyes glittered with excitement at the thought that the ice cube, Sasuke Uchiha, had feelings for a girl and he was becoming a bit softer. Sakura knew that deep down inside, underneath all that turmoil and anger, Sasuke was actually a nice guy.

"I don't know," Sasuke muttered and Sakura smiled at him. It was a rare sight to see the calm and collected Uchiha so unsure of himself.

"Trust me," Sakura assured him and clicked her tongue when she saw Hinata come around the corner. "Now's your chance, go." Sakura nodded over to Hinata and Sasuke turned around. He shook his head and told her he couldn't which made the girl frown. "You wuss, you'll dive head first into a swarm of rogue ninja, but you can't ask a girl out. Come on Sasuke, strap on a pair." Sakura waved it off and the Uchiha scrunched up his nose.

"Why is this so important to you?" Sasuke questioned with a raised brow and Sakura stifled a laugh.

"First of all, you asked for my advice," Sakura explained to him before raising a second finger in front of his face and said, "second of all, because your my friend and I want you to be happy. Now go." Sakura gestured for him to get up and talk to the girl, who was checking out a jewelry stand just down the way. Letting out a breath, Sasuke nodded and got up to his feet. Sakura's smile grew larger and larger as she watched her friend cross the street and greet Hinata. She would kill to have super sonic hearing, but she would just have to read their body language and facial expressions.

Hinata smiled at Sasuke and nodded her head, laughing lightly while Sasuke switched his weight around between his feet. It was obvious he was nervous and it became even more apparent when he rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged his shoulders. The pearl eyed girl watched him closely and nodded her head, giggling a bit. Sakura watched them with such intrigue and clasped her hands together in front of her chest.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked as he walked up to the table the pinkette was sitting at. Sakura looked up at him and told him to be quiet as she pointed over to Sasuke and Hinata. The blue eyed man looked down the way and pursed his lips. "Is he asking her to the Spring Festival?" Naruto inquired.

"He better be," Sakura growled, with a clench fist and Naruto chuckled a bit. From what they could tell the two were just casually talking. Sakura hoped that Sasuke would lose the nerve to ask the girl. "Ugh, I wish I knew what they were saying." The pinkette slammed her hand down onto the table and Naruto scooted away a bit. It was obvious that Sakura was definitely back to her old self now, for that he was incredibly grateful.

His eyes wandered back to the couple just down the street and he tried to read their movements and lips. Hinata was talking currently and hand her hands clasped in front of herself, swiveling back and forth where she stood. Since Sasuke's back was too them they couldn't really tell what was going on, but Naruto could see he was a little tense and was fidgety, which was odd for Sasuke.

"He's coming back," Naruto said when Sasuke turned and waved to Hinata. She smiled at him and waved back before going back to her shopping. As the Uchiha approached he scrunched up his nose at the sight of a beaming Naruto. "Did you ask her?" Naruto asked, wiggling his brows.

"No," Sasuke muttered.

"What!?" Naruto and Sakura both snapped at the same time. "Why not?" Sakura asked with disappointment written on her face.

"I don't know," Sasuke replied with a shrug and Sakura let her head hang between her shoulders. Naruto shook his head and looked over to Hinata. He knew Sasuke would probably kill him for doing this, but he was doing it because his friend needed his help.

"Hey Hinata!" Naruto shouted out and Sasuke quickly looked to Naruto in surprise. He was about to say something, but Naruto shushed him as he waved for the pearl eyed girl to come over to them. Sasuke was shaking his head in disbelief and Sakura was smiling happily liking her boyfriend's idea. "Sasuke needs a date to the Spring Festival this weekend, would you mind going as his date?" Naruto asked when the Hyuga heiress was standing before them.

Her eyes drifted to Sasuke, who was standing ramrod straight and looked so very nervous. She chuckled and turned to look at Sasuke saying, "I would be happy to go as your date, Sasuke." The Uchiha's worried look quickly turned to a smile.

"Really?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course," Hinata replied with a nod. Sakura beamed from where she stood and clapped her hand together happily. Naruto looked at his girlfriend and laughed, but his laugh died when he saw Sasuke glaring at him.

* * *

The lanterns looked magical as they dotted the festival grounds with all sorts of colors. Streamers and banners were hung all over the place advertising different foods, games, and gift shops. People were all over the place exploring the shops and chatting with friends, children were running around with sparklers and pinwheels, girls were dressed in elegant kimonos, and the music was perfect for dancing.

Under a large pavilion were several large picnic tables under twinkling lights and the warm glow of the torch lights. The speakers around the pavilion were pouring out all sorts of melodies that made people want to dance. On the dance floor under the pavilion were clusters of several people twirling, bouncing, and stomping around. The people that were standing around the dance floor were bopping their heads to the beat and clapping their hands as they watched people dance.

The firework show would start in another hour, so Naruto and Sakura decided to take a walk through the festival grounds to burn a little time. Sakura's dress was simple and elegant, perfect for an outdoor spring event. The dress fell to her mid-thigh and was simply white with a pink ribbon tied under her breast. She had on a necklace with a pink jewel in the shape of a teardrop and matching earrings. Naruto thought she looked stunning in the glow of lantern light. Her hair was down and had grown long reaching a few inches past her shoulders in ringlet curls.

"Hey let's go dance," Sakura said, pointing over to the pavilion where she could see couples dancing together. It wasn't much of a question or request, but rather a demand as she dragged Naruto towards the pavilion. When they got under the canopy of the pavilion, Sakura turned to Naruto and smiled happily before kissing his lips. He smiled against her lips and kissed her back, slipping his hands around her waist, pulling her into him. "I love you," Sakura said when they pulled apart.

"I know," he replied and Sakura glared at him as he chuckled. "I love you too." She smiled and pulled him out to the dance floor when a new song started. It was a faster pace, but not too fast. People spaced out a little bit and started swaying to the beat, twirling around the dance floor, and rocking their bodies all around.

Sakura looked at Naruto, who nodded his head and took Sakura's hand. He lifted it above her head and spun her around, leading her towards the middle of the dance floor. She stopped spinning when he pulled her into him. Her back was pressed against his front and they swayed against each other. They both dropped low, their bodies still remaining in contact with the other, and slowly rose back up. Naruto smiled and turned Sakura around, so that were now front to front. He took hold of her hands and raised them above their heads as they swayed to the music.

Sakura laughed as Naruto gently pushed her out and then pulled her back in only to spin her around and dip her low. He pulled her back up and let her go. The pinkette started jumping around and rocked her hips to the rhythm of the song pouring through the speakers. Naruto watched her as she dance around, him spinning around with her hands up in the air and eyes closed. Reaching out to Sakura, he pulled her back in she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and the spun in a circle.

A few moments later the song came to an end. Sakura laced her fingers with Naruto's and pulled him over to a vacant spot at a picnic table. When they sat down, Sakura lifted up her hair and fanned the back of her neck. That dance had been a bit of a work out for her, but she was having so much fun. Ever since the miscarriage, Sakura felt gloomy and hopeless, but being out with all of her friends and the festival was really reminding her that all was not lost. She leaned forward on the table and looked at Naruto, who was gazing at her with longing eyes.

Since the loss of the baby Sakura didn't want to have sex for a while and really she still felt that way. Though when she would catch Naruto sneaking glances at her when she was in her tight yoga pants it made her want him a little bit. He had been so good to her though, he was being supportive and loving and not even for a moment did he pressure her about it. Sakura found that to be refreshing, Naruto knew her so well. She didn't even have to tell him, he just knew and told her to take all the time she needed to heal. He was hurt by it too, she knew he was. The way the talked about the what ifs and the what could have beens, it was obvious Naruto was saddened by the loss. He was just better at hiding it than she was, but he talked about it to her, so she took relief in knowing that he was healing too.

"This is nice, I'm having a great time," Sakura assured Naruto.

"I'm glad, I was really worried about you for a while there," he admitted and she gave him a weak smile. She knew that when he came home to see her crying the first couple of weeks it tore him up, especially since she wouldn't even talk to him. "But you're getting better and that's all that matters." He put his hand on hers and she smiled when his thumb gently rubbed against the top of her hand.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I put you through that," Sakura said sadly and Naruto shook his head, assuring her that he was just happy to see her back to her old self again. Smiling at his words, Sakura nodded her head and looked around the pavilion. "Oh look, it's Sasuke and Hinata."

Naruto turned around and saw Sasuke and Hinata talking by one of the pillars around a myriad of paper lanterns. They looked wonderful together, the way Hinata smiled up at him and the way Sasuke stood so close to her. Sometimes Naruto found it hard to believe that someone as gentle and kind as Hinata could be attracted to someone as cold and distant as Sasuke. It was no matter now though, the two seemed rather cozy across the way.

"He owes me for that," Naruto chuckled as he looked back to Sakura, who smiled and nodded in agreement. "Do you think they'll work out?" Naruto asked his girlfriend, who pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders. With Sasuke being so afraid of his own romantic feelings for Hinata, she feared it would make things difficult, but Hinata was such a caring person she might be the one to look past all of that.

"I honestly don't know, but I hope so," Sakura said for the sake of Sasuke. He'd been so distant since he came back to the village, but when Hinata was around she could see parts of the old Sasuke she remembered from their genin days shine through. "Do you realize that as of today we have been dating for seven months?"

"Really?" Naruto asked in surprise and started counting the months on his fingers. A smile came to his face when he realized that she was right. "Wow, well hopefully that seven months turns into another seven months which will hopefully turn into seven years and so on." Sakura smiled, when Naruto wanted to be he could be very romantic and such a cheese ball, but she loved it.

"I think it will," Sakura said softly, looking up at him through her lashes. He smiled at her and nodded in agreement, squeezing her hand gently.

"This also means that my lease to my apartment will be up soon," Naruto reminded and Sakura tilted her head slightly. She was still living with Naruto and while they argued from time to time about trivial things, she actually wouldn't mind continuing to live with him. He was getting better about certain things like folding his laundry and putting the toilet seat down and stocking the fridge and pantry with more than just ramen.

Sakura gave him headaches too, hanging those lacy thongs of hers in the bathroom overnight, only for him to have to remove them all so that he could shower, then there was how much closet space she took up, and not to mention the amount of throw pillows his couches had accumulated in the time they had been living together. She made his apartment pretty girly in some aspects and he had gotten onto her about that and she tried to tone it down. The throw pillows just continued to spread though, so he made his peace with the fact he would have to move fifty pillows every night just to lay in his bed.

"So what are you saying?" Sakura asked him, pressing her lips together in a firm line.

"My apartment is too small for the two of us," Naruto explained and Sakura relaxed a bit when she heard the word 'us' in the sentence. She hated to admit it, but she thought Naruto would kick her out. "And by us I mean all your damn throw pillows."

"Hey!" Sakura laughed, kicking him under the table. The blond yelped and scooted back a little bit to avoid getting struck again. "Those pillows are really nice." She waved her finger at him and he rolled his eyes.

"Yes only one hundred of them are lovely," Naruto grumbled sarcastically and Sakura scowled, waving the matter off. "My point is, maybe we should get a bigger place." He shrugged his shoulder and Sakura smiled at him.

"You want to keep living with me?" Sakura asked happily and Naruto stifled a laugh, nodding his head. "Yeah, we should look for a bigger place then." She nodded her head with a bright smile and Naruto gave her a thumbs up, happy that she still wanted to live with him.

"Hey there you guys are, come on we have to go get some good spots for the fireworks," Ino said as she came walking over to the couple.

The couple got up and followed Ino out of the pavilion, heading towards the biggest park in the village, which was where the fireworks would be. People were already making their way towards the park with their blankets and children. Sakura smiled at the countless families seeing little girl's atop their father's shoulders, little boys clinging to their mother's legs, and older sibling complaining about the young siblings being annoying. It was truly a wonderful thing to see and it saddened her that her chance at that had been taken away.

Naruto gave her hand a gentle squeeze and she turned to look at him. He smiled at her and she nodded her head, knowing that he was assuring her she would have her chance. It was the truth, she would have her chance she was still very young and had plenty of years ahead of her.

"Welcome to the perfect spot," Ino said she showed them to the highest point of the hill where Shikamaru and several other friends of theirs were standing. There was a large plum tree up at the top that was in full bloom and it looked beautiful. The blonde girl ran over to her boyfriend and threw her arms around his shoulders. He stumbled, nearly dropping his bottle of beer and told Ino she was such a troublesome woman at times. She giggled and kissed his lips assuring him that he wouldn't want her any other way, which he couldn't deny.

"So is it true Naruto?" Lee asked as he walked over to Sakura and Naruto.

"Is what true?" Naruto asked the bushy browed man.

"The rumor is your going to be taking on a genin team this year," Lee smirked at Naruto, who shrugged his shoulders and said it wasn't a rumor and that it was indeed a fact. "Wow, you think you can handle it?"

"Of course he can," Sakura chimed in, placing a hand on Naruto's chest, gripping his striped button down. She pulled him forward and pressed her lips onto his. He put his arm around her and held her close as they broke apart. "Isn't that right, Naruto-sensei," the pinkette giggled and Naruto laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I heard Kakashi, Iruka, and Yamato were picking out your team, they are so getting their revenge on all the headaches you gave them back then," Kiba said as he slipped in line beside Lee with a beer bottle in his hand. "In fact, I had Kakashi in my class the other day asking about some of my rowdiest students." The Inuzuka laughed and Naruto swallowed hard, he feared what would come when he received his genin team.

"Well I hope you lied and gave him the most obedient ones," Naruto commented and Kiba cackled before bringing his beer bottle up to his lips.

"I thought about it, but I figured you have your hands full would be more fun," Kiba teased and Naruto snorted. "Hey if I can handle a class room full of those runts, you can handle three of them." The wild eyed boy shrug his shoulders and took another swig of his beer. It was actually Kiba's first time teaching at the academy this year. No one thought that teaching would be his thing, but turns out he kind of had a knack for it.

"Don't worry, Naruto, I'm sure you'll be a great sensei," Lee interjected and Naruto nodded, hoping Lee was right about that. He was pretty nervous about the whole thing, he wasn't even sure where to begin. Of course, he wouldn't until he knew who he would have on his team. "Just believe in the power of youth."

"Oh don't start spouting that today," Shikamaru said as he came over with Ino at his side. "I get enough of that from Guy-sensei when we're picking teams for missions and it's such a drag to listen to him for six hours a day." Shikamaru shook his head and scrunched up his nose at the thought of Guy rambling about being youthful. The man himself wasn't too bad, but when he got on that soap box of his it never seemed to end.

"He's not that bad," Hinata piped up as she and Sasuke came walking up the hillside. "Just passionate." She smiled and Shikamaru snickered, taking a swig of his beer.

"You say that now, but you only spent a day with him wait until you spend seven days a week with him." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, hearing Guy-sensei's endless boasting of youth and will power. He was all for youth and will power, but it had to stop at some point.

"I may never get the chance, I was only filling in for Iruka-sensei that day," Hinata added and Shikamaru told her to consider herself lucky. She looked to Sasuke, who was very quiet among their friends. Nudging him a bit, Sasuke looked at her and smiled weakly. "Relax, we're all friends."

"Yeah have a beer," Kiba said, turning around to the ice chest behind them. He plucked one out of the slow melting ice and tossed it to the Uchiha. "You too," Kiba said as he grabbed one for Naruto as well.

"The life of the shinobi never was an easy one," Sakura said, looping her arm through Naruto's. He nodded in agreement and thought of everything that he and his friends had accomplished up to this point. They all had gone on to be splendid ninja and sometimes he couldn't believe how much time had past since they were just a bunch of kids playing ninja in the street.

"To the life of the shinobi," Naruto said, raising his bottle. Everyone agreed and cheered as they raised their cups and bottles taking a swig of their beverages. Just as Naruto was about to say something else the fireworks shot up into the sky and everyone turned around and watched as the colors glittered against the dark sky.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone, who reviewed on the last chapter as always it was greatly appreciated! I'm having such a blast with this story and I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, I really wanted to show the growth between Naruto and his friends, granted it wasn't that big of a part, but hopefully you all found it enjoyable. A new chapter will be up soon! Until next time, oh and be sure to check out my latest Naruto and Sakura story **Light Me Up**, if you haven't already.

**P.S. **While I'm still debating this, and it is not guaranteed, I would like to know if anyone would want a sequel to this story? Let me know.


	20. Chapter 20

**The New Home**

It was perfect.

She smiled as she stood in the middle of the living room that she and her boyfriend now owned. Biting her lip, Sakura Haruno turned around to look at her handsome boyfriend, Naruto Uzumaki. He was leaning on the wall arch and had a smirk on his face. His blue eyes watched her as she spun around in the middle of the wooden floor. Watching her in the middle of their home made him feel like the luckiest man in the world. She was beautiful and smart and everything he wanted in a woman.

It had been a month since Naruto and Sakura had decided to move into a bigger place at the Spring Festival. And at that moment they were moving into the beautiful three bedroom two bathroom home. Walking over to Naruto, Sakura opened her arms up and he smiled lifting his arm, so she could wrap her arms around his torso. He kissed the top of her head as she buried her face into his chest and squeezed him tight.

"I love it, I love it, I love it," Sakura sang and Naruto chuckled at her excitement. Her green eyes were glowing as she looked around the living room that looked so cozy in the natural light pouring in through the bay windows. "Let's unpack." She smiled at him and kissed his cheek walking over to her backpack that she had brought with her. It was full of scrolls containing all the furniture from Naruto's apartment as well as their clothes and decorations.

Just as they began to unseal the items in the scroll a knock came to the door and the couple looked up at the door. Standing in the door way was Kakashi Hatake, their sensei and friend. He hadn't seemed to have aged a day since they were kids either. His hair was the same unruly silver mane and his face was still masked. To this day, Naruto and Sakura still hadn't seen what was behind the mask. They tried on a couple of occasions to see what was behind it, but they never succeeded. Sakura made her peace with it though, but Naruto was still determined as ever to see.

"So this is the new home," Kakashi said as he walked up and glanced around. He was actually proud of what the two of them had accomplished, they were twenty-two years old, in love, and living their dreams. His one dark visible eye fell onto the young couple and he smiled beneath his mask. "My two favorite students, shacking up." He chuckled at his words and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Technically we've been shacked up for a while now, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto pointed out with a smirk on his face and Sakura shook her head.

"Won't be long now before Sasuke shacks up too," Kakashi commented and both Naruto and Sakura furrowed their brows, glancing at each other for a moment. The silver haired jounin chuckled and realized then that Sasuke's two best friend's were unaware of what the Uchiha had done the other evening. "I thought you two would have known, but Sasuke and Hinata are dating now."

"What! He didn't tell me!" Sakura snapped, feeling insulted. She had been encouraging him to ask Hinata out since the Spring Festival and each time he refused her and ran off like a scared little boy. Placing her hands on her hips, Sakura looked at Naruto who shrugged his shoulders.

"It's about damn time if you ask me," Naruto snickered and Sakura sighed softly, nodding in agreement. "Now we can harass him about going on a double date." The blonde nudged Sakura with his elbow and she chuckled. They both knew that Sasuke would never agree to that, he probably wouldn't even confess that he and Hinata were dating. He would more than likely just hold it off for as long as he possibly could.

"Take it easy on him you two, he's new to all this," Kakashi spoke and took another step closer to them. "Anyways, I came here for two reasons."

"Those being?" Sakura asked with a smile.

"First, I have made a decision on who your student should be, Naruto," Kakashi said and the blond boy eyed him curiously. "Second, we have a briefing for a mission and it starts in ten minutes."

"The three of us?" Sakura asked, she hadn't been on a mission in a while.

"Just Naruto and I actually, sorry," Kakashi told her and Sakura pouted, she had been out of the whole mission circuit for a while. She really wanted to start taking on missions again, she felt so out of practice and it just wasn't fun for her. Her main practice had been medical ninjutsu and that's about all she'd focused on. Tsunade wanted her to take over the medical core and had been training her on difficult techniques.

After the miscarriage though they put that training on hold until Sakura felt ready to tackle her training again. Naruto and Sasuke were making leaps and bounds in their training and she didn't want to fall behind again. If Naruto was to be Hokage and she was going to be with him, she didn't want to seem like a weakling. She wanted to be able to hold her own in a fight and not need to be protected. Once upon a time Sakura was one of the toughest kuniochi in the village, but she had probably lost that title now. Sure she still packed a mean punch, but she was probably rusty on the battle field.

"I think I'm going to start training again and go back out into the field, the hospital and medical teams are finally full staffed," Sakura stated and the two men looked at her. Naruto smiled warmly and nodded his head, he would love to have her by his side on the battle field again. Although in the back of his mind, he worried about her being on the field again. If something ever happened to her on a mission, he'd go crazy. "While you're out, I'm going to ask Tsunade to start training me again and I'm going to start taking up missions." The pinkette smiled at Naruto.

"We could use a medic ninja like you," Kakashi remarked and Sakura nodded in agreement. "Well we have to go, come on Naruto." The silver haired jounin turned on his heels and walked out of the house.

"Can you handle all this by yourself?" Naruto asked Sakura before he left.

"Of course," Sakura smiled and got up onto her tiptoes to kiss his lips. He deepened the kiss and cupped her face in his hands. She smiled against his lips and put her hands on his shoulders to help her balance on her toes. "I love you, be careful." She kissed him once again and pulled away, gently touching the side of his face.

"I love you too," Naruto kissed her forehead and started for the door. "Oh and Sakura, please no more throw pillows," he joked before walking out the door. The pinkette huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head and tried to fight back her giggles.

* * *

Just as Sakura said she would, she had decided to start her training once again. Naruto was still on his mission with Kakashi and wasn't going to be back for another week. She stood in the middle of the training ground and narrowed her eyes at Sasuke and Sai, who were her opponents. She had started her training the day after Naruto had left for his mission. Sweat beaded on her forehead and slowly trickled down her face. It was true she was rusty, but Sasuke and Sai were still cautious, her medical skills were perfect. If they gave her the chance she could knock them out with a single touch or paralyze their muscles.

"It may have been a while Sakura, but your still impressive," Sasuke commented as he looked down at the huge crater that separated them. She was still fast and had excellent chakra control with a couple months of training Sakura could very well be the kuniochi she used to be. "Don't tell me that's all you've got though," he taunted with a smirk.

The pinkette clenched her fist tightly at her sides and licked her lips, tasting the saltiness of her sweat. She swallowed hard and focused her chakra into her fists, preparing to strike Sasuke down. There was a good chance she would miss, Sasuke was very fast. She also calculated the fact that Sai was nowhere to be seen and would probably go in for an attack right when she struck Sasuke or the tree behind him. Her green eyes were locked on him though, she had to at least try and hit him.

"Ninja Art: Super Beasts Scroll," Sai spoke and Sakura whirled around, punching an ink lion. It burst into splotches all over the ground and two more came in from the left and right side. Jumping back, Sakura managed to dodge the ink lions.

"Chidori!" Sasuke went in for the kill and Sakura gasped, finding his hand inches from her face with the lightning like chakra formed around it. The blueish glow lit up her face and Sasuke's dark eyes were on her like a hawk. "You lose," he whispered and Sakura closed her eyes, letting out a breath.

"Two on one though, you held your own fairly well," Sai commented as he walked forward.

"I can do better," Sakura shot back and Sai frowned.

"That's enough for today, Sakura," Sasuke intervened, not wanting her to push herself to far. "You've done well." He put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. It wasn't a lie, she was still as strong as ever and he really believed it.

"Thanks," Sakura smiled at him.

"I have to meet Hinata now, so tomorrow same time," Sasuke told her and walked off, leaving her and Sai alone. Sakura watched Sasuke go and chuckled softly, he was still modest about he and the Hyuga heiress dating.

"If you want to go another round, I'm not opposed to it," Sai announced as he walked up to the pinkette. She looked at him and smirked, nodding her head in agreement. "Tai-jutsu only, okay?" he asked her.

"Fair enough," she replied with a nod. Sai let out a breath and jumped back, putting the perfect distance to both defend and attack. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and crouched down, readying herself for an attack. "I'm not going to hold back."

"I didn't ask you too," Sai smirked at her and Sakura licked her lips. "Come on, let's see what you got." His dark eyes narrowed and the wind blew between them, causing his dark hair to fall into his eyes. When the world around them stilled and everything fell silent, Sakura lurched forward with her fist pulled back.

Sai ducked under the hit and swept his leg out, trying to knock the girl down. She did a backflip and landed a few paces back, crouched on her knees. Sai charged at her and Sakura stepped back defensively dodging his blows. Blocking a kick towards her ribs, Sakura gripped his leg tightly and tried to throw him off balance. When he toppled over, he quickly rolled away before Sakura could punch him. Her powerful strike went straight through the ground and caused it to split.

"Your strength never ceases to amaze me," Sai commented as he jumped back onto his feet. He gasped when Sakura came at him with a left swing, followed by a right, and another left. Sai hit a tree and slid down, Sakura's powerful fist fueled by chakra splintered the tree. Taking this as his chance, Sai kicked Sakura in the gut and she staggered back from his strike. He went in for another punch to her ribs, but Sakura jumped back just in the nick of time, feeling the air brushing against her from his punch.

Gripping his shoulder, Sakura pushed him forward to knock Sai off balance. He stumbled forward and fell onto the ground. Just when he rolled onto his back, he froze when Sakura's fist was hovering inches from his face. His eyes widened in surprise and he looked at Sakura, who was panting heavily. Smirking, Sai let his head fall back and decided to let Sakura have this win. They were both too tired to continue anyways.

"Well done, Sakura," Sai complimented with a smile, not one of his fake ones, but his genuine smile. The pinkette chuckled lightly and unclenched her fist, holding her gloved hand out to him. Taking her hand, Sakura helped him onto his feet and he quickly dusted himself off. "Your tai jutsu skills are pretty good, you need a little work, but you could be mission ready in no time."

"I hope so, I want to go back out on missions," Sakura told him with a small smile. "Well, I think that's all the training we need for today." Sai nodded in agreement and Sakura pulled off her leather gloves, carefully putting them into her pouch that was holstered onto her hip.

"Until tomorrow then," Sai said with a bow and disappeared in a swirl of black ink.

* * *

"You broke my girlfriend's arm!" Naruto shouted, glaring daggers at Sai, who shrank back as the blond tried to get a hold of him. "What the hell were you thinking?" Naruto growled through gritted teeth, wanting to snap Sai's neck. While Naruto didn't admit it to anyone, not even Sakura, he didn't like the two of them hanging out together. It was just a little jealousy of knowing Sai had Sakura's virginity, it was petty sure, but he couldn't help himself.

"It was an accident," Sai explained with his hands up to prove he meant no harm. Naruto fumed and shook his head in disappointment. He knew that Sakura was a tough girl and so did Sai, but obviously they had gone to far. Now, Sakura was in a hospital bed with a broken arm. "I didn't intend to harm her, you know I wouldn't do that." Sai looked very sincere as he spoke and Naruto knew he was from the beginning, but that didn't change the fact that Sai hurt Sakura.

"Hey! Stop causing a commotion outside of the hospital!" Sakura snapped as she came outside with her arm wrapped up in a sling. With her other arm though she hit Naruto on the side of his head, causing him to yelp and covered his head with his hands.

"Ow, Sakura, do you have to be so rough?" Naruto whined as he rubbed the spot she had hit. The pinkette snorted and looked at Sai, who took a step back not wanting to suffer the same hit Naruto had.

"It wasn't Sai's fault, it was mine," Sakura explained and Naruto nodded in understanding. She smiled at him and sighed turning to Sai, who gave her an apologetic look. Even though Sakura said it was her fault, Sai still felt bad about it. "I told him to come at me with everything he had and this is the result." She looked at her injured arm and pressed her lips together in a tight line.

"I know, I'm just being the protective boyfriend," Naruto replied with a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. Sakura smiled at his concern and gasped when he scooped her up into his arms. "Now, I'm going to take you home and take care of you. Just like you used to do for me." He kissed her cheek and started darting towards their home.

Sai watched them go and chuckled, shaking his head. At least Sakura had saved him from being beaten up by Naruto. Of course, if Sai had to he could take Naruto...or at least he liked to think he could.

"Naruto I could have walked," Sakura pointed out as he carried her across the village in his arms. "It's my arm that's broken not my leg." She rolled her eyes and looked up at him as he had this goofy smile on his face. He had just gotten back to the village that morning and Tsunade had told him that Sakura had been admitted to the hospital. Without waiting for an explanation he went straight there. He had been so worried that it was something serious, granted a broken arm was serious, but she would be just fine in a few weeks.

"I know, but I missed you," Naruto said as he leaped down onto the street just a block from their home. "Plus this way I get to hold you." He smiled at her and she giggled a bit, looping her good arm through his. As they walked down the street together, Naruto asked her how her training was going while he was gone aside from the little mishap.

She told him that she got Sasuke's approval and that alone was impressive. Sasuke hardly gave anyone any kind of compliment. She also told Naruto that she was working on a new genjutsu technique. He seemed very impressed with her, she had been in the hospital so long to hear that she was getting into combat again was exciting. Although seeing her with a broken arm only strengthened his concern about Sakura getting hurt on missions. He understood it was part of the job, but he still wished he could talk her out of it.

"Are you sure you want to go back in the field, Sakura?" Naruto asked in a worried tone and Sakura looked up at him slightly off-put by his lack of faith in her. Not that he doubted her skill, she knew it was just him being a worry-wart. "I mean, I know your strong, but I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Naruto, I'm a shinobi it's an occupational hazard," Sakura pointed out and he nodded his head knowingly. "Besides, I watched you get hurt all the time and I am not going to be the weak girlfriend of the future Hokage." She winked at him and Naruto stopped her from walking, positioning her so she was standing in front of him.

The blond man, who towered her in height placed his hands gently on her small shoulders. Sakura blinked a few times, her green eyes staring up into his blue ones curiously. "Sakura, you will never be seen as the weak girlfriend of the future Hokage," he assured her with a kind smile. "Everyone knows how incredible you are, don't forget it." Naruto leaned forward, his breath ghosting across her supple lips. Sakura knew he was teasing her, so she just pushed up on her toes, crashing her lips onto his.

They pulled apart a few moments later and continued on towards their house. Sakura leaned her head against Naruto's arm and sighed softly. She loved when he was home, she hated when he was gone on long missions. Once he became a sensei he would be able to stay around the village more, which she was happy about. Maybe he could even help her train, because no matter what she was going back to missions. It had been almost a year since she had gone on a mission, which was weird because after the war, Sakura seemed to be on a mission every other week.

"Did you buy anymore pillows while I was gone?" Naruto asked with a laugh as they walked across the yard of their home and Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey there everyone! Thank you very much for the feedback on the last chapter, hopefully this one was enjoyable as well. Let me know what you thought, as always I will see you all in the next chapter. If you have any questions feel free to ask in a review or PM me!


	21. Chapter 21

**The Genin**

In one more week, Naruto Uzumaki would be a sensei, responsible for a team of three genin. He couldn't help, but wonder what they would be like. Would they be powerful? Would they work well together? Would they have special bloodlines? He stood on Training Ground 3 and walked up to the wooden post. He chuckled softly and ran his hand over the post, remembering when he and his team were sitting in this very spot. Naruto closed his eyes for a moment and remembered being tied to the post. Sasuke and Sakura both offered up their lunch to him and Kakashi scared them half to death only to surprise them, assuring them they had passed. Opening his eyes, Naruto hoped that his team would work together. Of all the things he had learned through the years, protecting your comrades was the most important.

Standing up again, Naruto turned around when he heard footsteps coming up beside him. Shikamaru stood across the way with his hands shoved in his pockets and a tired expression on his face. He yawned and stopped walking, looking up at Naruto who nodded at him. The lazy shinobi removed his hands from his pockets and cocked his head to the side.

"I need your help," Naruto said, walking closer to Shikamaru.

The lazy man nodded. "Alright." Shikamaru crossed his arms over his chest. "What did you need my help with?" Normally, Naruto would turn to Kakashi or Sasuke for help. He knew lately Naruto had been training by himself, saying he had to work on something and would be scarce for most of the day.

Naruto pulled a scroll from his green flak jacket that was over the top of his orange blazer. "I know that you were taught fuinjutsu when you became a member of the Hokage Guard Platoon," Naruto explained and Shikamaru nodded as he connected the dots. "I want you to help me learn my father's jutsu."

"Shouldn't you ask someone with more experience in the technique?" Shikamaru asked with a tilt of his head. Naruto waved it off, saying no one would be better than him. The lazy genius beg to differ, he understood how the jutsu worked but performing it himself was an entirely different matter. "Naruto I understand the jutsu, I myself can't perform it." Shikamaru shook his head, but Naruto simply put the scroll into Shikamaru's hand.

"With your brains, I'm sure we'll get it done in no time," Naruto smiled and reached into his pouch. He pulled out one of his father's special kunai and twirled it around in his hand. Shikamaru watched him for a moment and sighed. "Come on, I have to have this down by the end of the week."

"What! Then why did you wait so long to start this training?" Shikamaru snapped with an eye roll. Leave it to Naruto to wait until the last possible second to do something.

"What's the matter Shikamaru, don't think we can do it?" Naruto asked, tossing the kunai into the wooden post behind him. Shikamaru snorted and shook his head, the Flying Thunder God Technique was not just any ordinary jutsu. Naruto was a good shinobi, but a week to learn such a skill would take longer than a week. Sure Naruto had beaten the odds before, but this time he probably wouldn't be able too.

"I think we can, but not in a week," Shikamaru retorted as he opened up the scroll Naruto had given him. He started reading the scroll and sat down cross-legged on the ground. The blond walked over to Shikamaru and sat down cross-legged in front of him. "Do you know anything about this jutsu?" Shikamaru asked with a raised brow, glancing up from the scroll.

"Not really," Naruto replied with a smile and Shikamaru shook his head, looked like they had a lot to cover in a weeks time. Sputtering, Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed softly. "Hey, none of this troublesome business, we're burning time." Naruto snapped his fingers and Shikamaru shook his head.

"Right," Shikamaru said with a nod. "Okay, first you need to understand how this all works. So let's start there first," Shikamaru began and Naruto nodded.

* * *

Sakura was doing some grocery shopping since Naruto was off training and Ino had work to do at the Torture and Interrogation Unit. She was walking down the street with a bag full of fresh vegetables in her arms when she bumped into someone. The bag in her arms was about to fall, but the person quickly steadied her and apologized for not watching where they were going. Sakura laughed lightly and shook her head, assuring them that everything was fine. When her green eyes looked up to the person she bumped into she tilted her head. Her mouth fell open and she couldn't believe who was standing in front of her.

"Kenji? Kenji Matsukata?" Sakura questioned with a light laugh.

The man in question looked down at the pinkette before him and smiled brightly.

"It is you," Sakura chuckled and put her bag of groceries down. "How have you been?" she asked and gave him a quick hug. He returned her hug and put his hands on the sides of her face, almost not able to believe he was seeing her. She laughed lightly and he pulled back from her, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Good, real good." Kenji nodded his head and raked his fingers through his coal black hair. "How long has it been?" he asked, his smokey grey eyes tracing her face. Sakura looked down and shrugged her shoulders, it had definitely been a while since they had crossed paths.

"I think it's been about three...maybe four years now," Sakura guessed with a shrug and Kenji nodded his head. "What are you doing in the Leaf?" she asked with a smile.

Kenji Matsukata was a skilled medical shinobi with precise chakra control and even larger reserves. He was incredibly smart and quite handsome. He was only twenty-six years of age and spent most of his time traveling around the Great Shinobi Nations and the surrounding countries helping those in need. Sakura had met him when she was nineteen years old and training a medical team in Suna. She had been away from the Leaf Village for three months and was really getting homesick, when she met Kenji.

"Meeting a friend," Kenji replied with a smile and Sakura nodded her head. "How have you been, Sakura?" he asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Same old, same old," she explained to him and Kenji chuckled lightly. "I've just recently started training again, I'm heading back out into the field soon."

"The world can use impressive kuniochi such as yourself," Kenji flattered. "With your impressive skills, you'll probably even surpass the legendary Slug Princess." Sakura laughed lightly. "I mean it." He smiled at her and Sakura smiled back, Kenji was always the one for the flattery and kind words. It was because of that that she liked him so much plus he had lots of knowledge about medical ninjutsu.

"You haven't changed at all, have you?" Sakura teased.

"How about we go to dinner tonight?" Kenji asked and Sakura raised a brow at him in surprise.

"I have a boyfriend," Sakura replied softly and the dark haired man nodded once, understanding entirely. "Just as well, it's good to see you Kenji." He stifled a laugh and bowed to her slightly.

"Always a pleasure, Sakura," he said as he took her hand a placed a kiss on it. She stared at him for a moment and stifled a laugh, pulling her hand back. If Naruto saw that he would have beat Kenji senseless. "Maybe the next time we meet again you won't have a boyfriend," he smiled at her and bowed before walking away. Sakura waved to him and sighed softly as she went to pick up the grocery bag at her feet.

"Who the heck was that?" Sasuke's voice came and Sakura whirled around to see him standing right there. She gasped and stumbled back at how close he was to her. His dark eyes fell upon her and she looked back up at him, laughing nervously.

"Just a friend," Sakura assured him, but Sasuke didn't seem to believe her. "A platonic friend." She smiled and Sasuke looked down the street to where the man had vanished in the crowd.

"He seemed to like you a little more than that," Sasuke pointed out and Sakura sighed.

"I still love Naruto," Sakura assured him with a smile and continued on down the street. Sasuke watched her for a moment and walked along side of her. "What's wrong?" she asked him with a giggle.

"Stay away from him, Sakura," Sasuke warned and she furrowed her brows.

"He's harmless," Sakura told him, but Sasuke didn't seem to care at all. She rolled her eyes and continued on her way home, Sasuke was just being paranoid. He was just looking out for his friends, she knew, but he didn't have to be so critical about Kenji. "Stop worrying so much." Sakura waved him off and Sasuke snorted.

"I'm serious, Sakura," Sasuke stated firmly and the pinkette whirled around to look at him. She shook her head not understanding why Sasuke was so hellbent on her keeping away from Kenji. Sighing, Sakura shook her head and continued on her way. It didn't matter what Sasuke said about Kenji it wasn't like he was going to be sticking around he was just a drifter.

* * *

The day was finally here, the day that Naruto Uzumaki would meet his genin team. His blue eyes came open and he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Glancing over at his alarm clock it went off at six on the dot. He turned it off quickly and looked over to his left, seeing Sakura sleeping peacefully beside him. A smile tugged at his lips and he leaned forward to kiss her sleeping face.

"I love you," he whispered before climbing out of bed. Quietly, Naruto exited the bedroom and went into the bathroom across the hall to take a quick shower before heading off to the academy. No one would tell him who his future students were, no matter how much he begged them. There was no telling what he past mentors would have in store for him. Kakashi had his pick for a month already, but Iruka and Yamato had only recently picked out their two. Naruto prayed they picked students that worked well together rather than getting the most boisterous ones in the bunch and teaming them up.

Stripping from his clothes, Naruto stepped into the shower and let the hot steamy water run over his muscles. He was still pretty tired, he and Shikamaru had been working day in and day out trying to perfect his father's jutsu. Overall the two had accomplished a great deal, for something that seemed so simply it was actually quite hard. By a fluke, Naruto was actually able to perform the jutsu three times, but never again. It took perfect chakra control and such precision. According to Shikamaru, it was like making a summon and it required the perfect amount of chakra otherwise it would throw everything off.

Naruto was hoping to have the jutsu perfected before he met his students, but unfortunately they hadn't. Raking his fingers through his hair, Naruto let his head fall back feeling the water stream down his neck and shoulders. He had talked to Kiba about the students and all the dog lover shared was that it would be a good match for him. Naruto wasn't really sure how to take that bit of information, but he decided to just roll with it. Cupping his hands under the water, Naruto splashed it onto his face.

Turning off the water, Naruto reached out of the shower and grabbed a towel. He dabbed it on his body before he wrapped it around his waist. Stepping out of the shower, Naruto walked up to the mirror and wiped off the condensation from his shower. Looking at himself in the mirror, Naruto nodded and grabbed his tooth brush to begin his morning ritual. There was a knock on the door and he looked over to see Sakura poking her head in.

"Hey it's the big day, you excited?" Sakura asked with a bright smile. She walked into the bathroom and grabbed her own toothbrush. "I'll make you an awesome breakfast today." She winked at him and put her toothbrush into her mouth.

Naruto spit the paste from his mouth and smiled at Sakura. "Maybe I should just stay home with you all day." He kissed the top of her head and pulled her close to him. Sakura pushed him off and chuckled as she finished brushing up her teeth and spit out the paste.

"You don't want to make a bad first impression," Sakura told him with a kind smile. She ran her hand up and down his chest and looked up at him through her lashes. He smirked at her and gripped her hips, pulling her against his body. "Now, now we don't have time for this," she smiled seductively and Naruto let out a heavy breath, shaking his head in annoyance.

"You are a very evil lady," Naruto grumbled, pecking her on the lips. Sakura giggled and slipped out of the bathroom to go start breakfast. Shaking his head, Naruto walked to their bedroom to get dressed. Sakura was now finally back to her old self, it taken two and a half months, but she was there. Her smile was back and it was honest, no longer forced. She had yet to have sex with him again, but he was still willing to wait for as long as she needed. Although he couldn't deny that he really wanted her.

Pulling on his t-shirt and pants, Naruto walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway to their cozy blue colored kitchen. Sakura said she wanted an ocean theme and she had made it as such with fun beach colors and a tropical feel. He saw her whisking away at some pancake batter in a large glass bowl. Taking a seat at the table, he let out a breath and ran his fingers through his still damp hair.

"Ready to do the bell test today?" Sakura asked him as she added in some chocolate chips. "I wonder what you team is gonna be like, I'm so disappointed I won't be able to watch." She shook her head and stirred in the chocolate chips before turning on the stove, letting the frying pan heat up.

"Don't worry I will tell you all about it," Naruto assured her with a smile.

"I know you will," Sakura replied. "I bet Kakashi and Yamato and Iruka made a great team for you."

"I really hope so," Naruto sighed, glancing at the clock. He would be meeting his team at the Academy in one hour.

* * *

Three twelve year old genin stood before Naruto on Training Ground Three, the very same training ground he and his team had formed on many years ago. There was a nice summer breeze blowing through the clearing and there was not a single cloud in the sky. He could see that they were eager to begin. Their eyes glowing with excitement and their bodies shaking with the will to take on their sensei. Naruto couldn't help, but put that goofy grin on his face. His team couldn't have been more excited to know that the hero of the ninja world was their sensei. Naruto had his hands shoved in his pockets and slowly lifted his hand out revealing the two bells.

The genin all looked at the bells with questioning eyes as Naruto tied them onto his pants. His blue eyes locked on each of his students, they didn't seem afraid at all. He liked that about them they looked fearless, ready to take on the world. It was that same gleam he had in his eyes many years ago. Taking in a deep breath, Naruto put his hands behind his head and laughed lightly.

"Your task is simple, get these bells from me," Naruto said, pointing to the bells tied onto his black pants. "Use whatever means necessary to retrieve them." He let his arms fall down to his sides and looked at each of his students carefully.

Ryota Yuhara, Suzume Okita, and Tadashi Ugaki.

Naruto wasn't sure what to expect from them, aside from knowing their names he knew little else about them. He liked it that way though, he wanted to see what they were capable of. Kakashi, Yamato, and Iruka created this team for him and he wanted to see how much of a handful they would truly be. From the looks of it Ryota seemed to be the brash one in the group, his mouth had a lot of trash to say, but it would be another matter if he could truly dish it out. Suzume on the other hand seemed a bit softer, she seemed insecure with herself. The final member of the group, Tadashi seemed almost prosaic, however Naruto knew better than to judge any of them just yet.

"You have until sundown to get these bells, which gives you approximately eight hours," Naruto explained, looking at each of them as he spoke. He was sizing them up, trying to get under their skins, making them nervous. The idea was to bring on all the pressure he could be they started. "If you do not retrieve these bells by sundown, you will all return to the academy and be stripped of your genin titles, understood?" Naruto asked, eyeing them all.

"Yes sir!" they answered in unison and Naruto chuckled lightly.

"Come at me with the intent to kill, if you do not," Naruto paused, mostly for dramatic effect. "You WILL fail."

That got them to flinch a bit, even Tadashi who seemed uninvolved with any of this. In a way, the boy reminded him of Sasuke in his younger days. Sitting pretty with no real concern, just ready to do the task at hand. Naruto smirked at the boy and wondered if he would be anything like Sasuke. Tadashi had shaggy red hair that was covered by the hood of his sleeveless gray jacket that hid his black t-shirt and fell just past his hips. His attire even reminded him of Sasuke with the black and gray camouflage shorts, his hair falling into his piercing green eyes, and his flawless cream colored skin.

"Naruto-sensei," Suzume interjected and Naruto gestured for the purple-eyed girl to speak. "You only have two bells, and there are three of us, does that mean only two of us can pass?" she inquired, sounding a bit worried.

"That's right," Naruto lied and once again the three genin before him started to shake a bit. He felt a bit bad psyching them out the way he was, but in order to be true shinobi they had to be able to handle the pressure. "That being said, BEGIN!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone, thanks for stopping by and reading! I hope you enjoyed meeting Naruto's genin team, the next chapter will actually have quite a bit of action, hopefully I will do it justice, cause I am not good with fight sequences. Please leave your thoughts and as always I will see you all in the next chapter! By the way thank you all so much for the comments, I can't believe that I have 350 plus comments, that is so crazy! I hope to break 500 when this story is over, help me get there!


	22. Chapter 22

**The Bell Test**

Tadashi and Suzume were gone in an instant like bats out of hell. There was no trace of them and Naruto nodded, happy to know they had basic skills of deception. He looked back to where the three had been previously standing and blinked a few times. Ryota Yuhara was still standing in the same place with a triumphant smile on his face. Tilting his head slightly, Naruto wondered what it was he was so happy about.

"I did say start, right?" Naruto asked the kid with the golden eyes.

"I'm not just going to run away, I have to face you at some point. I'm not going back to the academy! I'm getting one of those bells!" Ryota declared and Naruto smirked, impressed by his ambition.

"Big talk, but can you back it up?" Naruto challenged, bending at his knees and waving for Ryota to charge at him. The wind picked up between them and Naruto waited for the silver haired boy to make his move. "Well?" Naruto pressed, slowly reaching his hand towards the kunai holster strapped to his leg.

Ryota reached into his pouch and pulled out three shuriken and flung them at Naruto. Grabbing the kunai in his holster, Naruto deflected the kunai and smirked. He nodded his head and wondered what Ryota would do next. In one swift movement, the twelve year old charged at Naruto. The boy was pretty fast, but nothing spectacular as of yet. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto side stepped from the boy's projection and grabbed his arm.

The moment Naruto had Ryota's arm, he pushed him forward causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. When the boy tumbled over, Naruto was about to comment on his attack, but fell silent.

Jumping back, Naruto watched as a half dozen kunai pierced the ground. Landing on his feet and sliding back, Naruto looked up and gasped. Tadashi was on a high branch and performed some hand signs.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Tadashi shouted as a massive ball of fire came hurtling towards Naruto.

_This kid is just like Sasuke, _Naruto thought as he dodged the fireball. Rolling back onto his feet, Naruto twirled a kunai in his hand and flung it in Tadashi's direction. The redhead jumped down from the branch to avoid the kunai and landed beside Ryota, who was dusting himself off.

"Way to go, loser," Tadashi scolded Ryota.

"You missed too!" Ryota snapped back with a clenched fist.

Naruto chuckled. The two of them bickering reminded him some much of his younger days with Sasuke. Shaking his head, Naruto pushed his memories away and noticed a bubble float in front of his face. Raising a brow, Naruto yelped and quickly jumped away.

"Water Style: Bubble Blaster Jutsu!" Suzume called out as she appeared behind Naruto. Jumping into the tree branch overhead, Naruto looked down as a surged of bubbles beamed across the field. Tadashi and Ryota jumped out of the line of fire and the bubbles soaked the ground all around them as they burst.

_They may be fresh from the academy, but they know their stuff, _Naruto thought as the ground became damp and slippery from Suzume's jutsu.

"Stop fighting you two! We have to work together remember!" Suzume scolded the two as she grabbed a kunai from her pouch and twirled it in her hand, gripping it tightly. Naruto nodded in agreement with her words, in order for them to get the bells they would have to work together. "Once this is over you can go back to hating each other all you want! But I am not going back to the academy because of you idiots!" she growled at them and Naruto stifled a laugh.

Naruto jumped to another tree branch when Ryota tried to throw a punch at him. In his hands he held several shuriken and Naruto smirked. Gold eyes locked with blue and in one swift movement, Ryota unleashed his wave of shruiken. Naruto jumped down to the ground only to be met by Tadashi. He tried to kick Naruto, but the blond blocked him easily and threw him off course.

Catching himself, Tadashi spun back around and went after Naruto again. Weaving through the redhead's punches, Naruto could feel that he was channeling his chakra into his fist. It was apparent to him that Tadashi had chakra control much like Sakura's, fortunately for Naruto he could feel the chakra fluctuating. Tadashi may have had chakra control, but keeping a steady hold on it was not easy for him.

Finally having enough of weaving through the punches. Naruto ducked down and stuck his leg out, sweeping it under Tadashi. The boy fell onto the ground hard and Naruto ran into the bushes.

Suzume appeared out of nowhere and Naruto dusked down to avoid her kick. He flipped back and tossed some shuriken her way. She ran behind a tree and the shuriken pierced the bark of the tree. Naruto licked his lips and narrowed his eyes as the girl came back at him again. He could see the uncertainty in her eyes, but she continued her advance. He blocked her punches and jumped from the ground when she tried to knock him off his feet.

"Suzume!" Ryota's voice came and she quickly moved aside. Naruto furrowed his brows and spun around as Ryota ran towards him the yellow sash around his waist waving in the wind. "Take this!" Ryota shouted as he did a move that seemed very much like Lee's and Guy's dynamic entry. Naruto barreled under the boy, causing him to strike a tree instead.

When Naruto rolled back onto his feet, he found himself face to face with the cold steel tip of a katana. The way the light glimmered on the metal made him close his eyes for a moment. He looked up to see a mess of red hair falling into piercing green eyes. His hold on the blade was steady and his breathing was slightly labored. Tadashi was turned sideways to Naruto, but his gaze was locked on him.

"You really are a mini Sasuke," Naruto commented with a chuckle.

"Slash!" Tadashi cried out as he raised his blade and brought it down at an impressive speed and force. Naruto didn't even bother to dodge, he just remained where he was. The second the blade came in contact with his shoulder, he vanished into a puff of smoke. "A shadow clone!" Tadashi gasped and gritted his teeth when he realized Naruto was gone.

"Nice try, kiddo," Naruto said as he came up behind Tadashi. The redhead didn't even have a chance to turn around before Naruto looped wire around him and pulled him back against a tree, pinning him in place. Tadashi coughed from the impact on the trunk of the tree and cursed under his breath. Looking at his handy work, Naruto dusted off his hands and looked to where Suzume had been moments ago.

_Now, where could the other two be hiding? _Naruto wondered as he glanced from left to right.

**_Sssss! Thunk!_**

Naruto looked down in front of him and his eyes bulged as two kunai with paper bombs started sizzling at his feet. Running out of range, Naruto booked it for the open area. The moment he reached the clearing the paper bombs behind him detonated and caused him to stumble a bit from the blast. Debris fluttered through the air and landed all around him, but still Suzume and Ryota were nowhere to be seen.

"Here I come, sensei!" Ryota called out and Naruto turned around, grabbing hold of Ryota's foot and spun him around. The boy grunted and groaned when he hit the ground and rolled a few times. Shaking his head, Naruto watched as the silver haired boy got onto his feet, staggering a bit. "I'm gonna get those bells!" Ryota shouted and Naruto smiled.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Naruto asked, taking a step forward the bells jingling as he did so. Ryota looked at Naruto for a moment and then turned his attention to the bells. "Don't tell me this is all you guys got, you'll never make it as shinobi otherwise," Naruto taunted.

"Don't underestimate me!" Ryota bellowed, his fist clenched tightly at his side as he stood across the clearing. Naruto could see the passion igniting in his eyes. There was no denying these genin had skills and they showed a lot of prospect, but they needed to work on their timing. Naruto wasn't even sure he could call it teamwork, they just kept striking one after the other, but there was no precision in their strikes.

"Prove me wrong then," Naruto encouraged, waiting to see what Ryota planned to do next. He was a scrawny kid, he need to put meat on his bones. His body was covered by a black body-suit that clung to his lean and scrawny body while he had a scarlet red haori over the top of it tied closed by a long yellow sash. Ryota had bandages wrapped around his hands and wrist and Naruto could tell he was a user of taijutsu. "Stop playing games and act like true shinobi, this isn't just a test...this is your future we're talking about, now come at me with the intent to kill and work as a team!" Naruto stated firmly, knowing that Suzume and Tadashi were close enough to hear his little speech.

Ryota lunged at Naruto and soon started attacking in a flurry of punches and kicks. Naruto dodged and blocked every hit, stepping back every few seconds. There was no denying Ryota's speed, his taijutsu skills were better than that of a genin. His prowess and fluidity of movements was like a dance. Naruto actually had to try in order to keep from getting struck down, if he was careless Ryota could bring him down.

Left, right, upper cut!

Back, sidestep, block!

"Take this!" Ryota hollered as he leaped up into the air and came down with his fist pulled back and ready to strike. Naruto narrowed his eyes and spun out of the way, grabbing hold of Ryota's arm, yanking him back and kneed him in the spine. "GAH!" Ryota coughed out and Naruto held him in place as they stood in the middle of the training ground.

"It seems you all didn't pay much attention in the academy," Naruto said simply, holding Ryota in place. His hands were tightly gripped around Ryota's wrist and he had a kunai pressed against his throat. The boy was trembling in his hold and Naruto snickered a bit. "Your ambition and resilience is impressive, but you can't do this alone."

Ryota gritted his teeth and looked out into the open area, wondering where his teammates were.

"I have to do this by myself!" Ryota snapped, once he realized his teammates weren't coming to his rescue. "No one believes in me! But I'm going to show them all...what I can do!" Ryota growled and Naruto smirked, closing his eyes for a moment. This kid was a lot like him when he first started out. Pushing Ryota forward, Naruto jumped back from him and held a kunai in his hand.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Naruto barely made it out of the way that time. When he turned around, Tadashi was standing across the way, panting heavily.

"Eat this!" Ryota pulled out six kunai all wrapped with paper bombs. Naruto's eyes widened and he scrambled away as the kunai flew in his direction. They started sizzling the moment they made contact with the ground. Naruto rolled behind a tree and braced himself as the bombs exploded.

"Water Style: Bubble Blaster Jutsu!" Suzume appeared in front of Naruto and unleashed her beam of bubbles. Jumping up into the tree, Naruto let out a breath of relief. "I'm not done yet!" Suzume shouted as she followed after Naruto and started throwing punches.

Swing. Swing. Swing.

Naruto bumped into the tree trunk and leaped away only to be met by the powerful swing of Tadashi's katana. Flipping backwards, Naruto landed on the ground and huffed. Their timing was much better now, it wasn't just aimless strikes they weren't giving him a chance to even breath, let alone blink.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Ryota shouted as he kicked Naruto in the gut.

_This is more like it, _Naruto thought as he skidded back. He fell to one knee and groaned, the kid was playing around with that kick. Naruto could still feel his bones rattling, he wasn't expecting such for from a child.

"Those bells are ours," Tadashi declared as he came charging towards Naruto with his sword out, glinting in the sunlight.

**_CLING!_**

Naruto blocked Tadashi's blade with a kunai.

Suzume came racing forward next with a kunai, aiming straight for Naruto's arm. Forcing, Tadashi back, Naruto kicked him in the gut and turned his attention to Suzume. He barely managed to catch her, but a block was a block.

**_WHOOSH!_**

**_ Clink, clink!_**

Naruto knocked Suzume back and she flipped a few times, tossing her kunai at him. Deflecting the blade, Naruto smirked and nodded. He realized what they had done and looked to the tree a few yards away from him.

"Very clever," Naruto commented and saw the bells pinned to the trunk of the tree by a shuriken. Ryota plucked the bells free from the tree and held them up. They jingled and he smirked at his sensei triumphantly. "You're a heck of a shot, half-pint," Naruto said to the scrawny kid with a laugh.

"I told you, sensei, I am not going back to the academy," Ryota replied and Naruto nodded his head in agreement. Each one of his students showed that they had teamwork within them, they just needed to master it. "But if anyone has to go back it should be Tadashi!" Ryota snapped, pointing at the redhead standing across from them.

His arms were crossed over his chest and his katana was sheathed in it's white scabbard on his back. Tadashi snorted and eyed Ryota evilly. "If anyone should head back to the academy it's you, your still childish."

"I was the one who got the bells!" Ryota snapped.

"Because of Suzume and I," Tadashi pointed out with a nonchalant shrug. "Had we not kept Naruto-sensei occupied you never would have gotten those bells."

Ryota was silent and crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, looking away in defeat while still trying to keep his pride. Naruto chuckled softly and glanced over at Suzume, who sighed dejectedly and shook her head at her teammates bickering.

"So who has to go back, Naruto-sensei?" Ryota asked after a few moments.

"You all pass," Naruto answered and they looked at him in surprise.

"What?" they chimed in unison.

"The goal is to work together as a team, as I told you earlier a shinobi can not do everything alone," Naruto explained, looking at each of his students. "Your comrades are your most valuable weapon on the battlefield. They will watch your back and you will watch theirs. You need each other, that's why you are put onto squads of three."

"Wait," Suzume interjected and Naruto looked to her. "So because we worked together at the end you are letting us all continue to be genin?" Her purple eyes were gleaming with hope as she brushed her light brown hair from her face.

"That's right," Naruto said with a smile. "Listen you three, your teammates are more important than any mission. Yes, in the rules the mission is all that matters, but if you abandon your friends, you are scum."

"So you're going to keep training us?" Ryota asked excitedly.

"You bet!" Naruto beamed, giving them all a thumbs up.

* * *

Sakura let out a breath of relief as she soaked in her warm and comforting bubble bath. She had spent the entire day training with Lady Tsunade and her muscles were begging for some relaxation. Her hair was pinned up in a messy bun with a few stray strands of pink falling into her face. Resting her head on the edge of the tub, Sakura closed her eyes and took in the sweet nectarine smell. She could just feel all her tension and stress melting away as the warm water soaked her skin.

"Hey," Naruto smiled as he poked his head into the bathroom. Sakura looked at him and smiled back. "How did your training with the old lady go?" Naruto asked as he walked in and sat down on the floor by the edge of the tub.

"It was a long day," Sakura replied with a light laugh and Naruto chuckled. He knew that Tsunade was no pushover even though she was getting older, she was a drill sergeant at her easiest. "But, tell me about your team, how were they?"

"I have a mini Sasuke, a mini me, and a mini you," Naruto replied with a chuckle and Sakura furrowed her brows. "Or they seem to be like us when we were kids at least." He shrugged his shoulders and Sakura laughed lightly, remembering the good old days when they were kids who didn't have a clue.

"How did they do?" she asked with a smile.

"Well, the mini Sasuke-"

"What's his real name, Naruto?" Sakura chided.

"Sorry," Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Tadashi is a lot like Sasuke when he was a kid, he has that bratty know-it-all attitude and he's a little smug, but he's got some skills. He can use the fireball jutsu."

"Wow, he is like Sasuke," Sakura giggled and Naruto nodded, saying she didn't even know the half of it. "And what about the other two?"

"Well, Suzume is insecure and doesn't seem to trust herself very much, but she's a lot better than she thinks she is," Naruto explained. Sakura smiled as Naruto sat there on the bathroom floor like a proud mother hen spouting about his students. "Ryota...I like him, I know you can't play favorites, but if I could I'd pick him. He's ambitious and a lot like me, I feel a kinship with him, I guess."

"Look at you," Sakura said, tapping Naruto's nose. He looked at her and laughed lightly. "You were nervous this morning and now, you're like a proud mother hen." The pinkette sank into the water a little deeper and scooped up some bubbles, blowing them from her hand.

"Well I have to be don't I?" Naruto asked as he leaned on the edge of the tub, resting his chin on the back of his hands. Sakura nodded and told her that she was happy for him. "They'll make a great team, I'm certain of it." His blue eyes were glowing and Sakura laughed lightly, his excitement and passion made her want to train her own team.

"I guess that means you owe a thank you to your previous mentors then," Sakura noted and Naruto nodded with pursed lips. "And you were worried they were punishing you."

"Hey it's only be one day, I'm not throwing any theory out the window just yet," Naruto said and Sakura laughed.

* * *

Kenji Matsukata stood at the top of the mountain faces of the past Hokage. Darkness had taken over the sky and the world seemed to still as the lights started going out. Only the silver moon shined high in the sky, making the world fall into shadow.

"You understand the mission?" Kenji asked as his eyes remained forward on the village.

"Yes sir."

"We make our move in three days," Kenji put his hands behind his back, "tell the others."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hopefully my action sequence wasn't that bad, I tried to make it interesting. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and commented up to this point. I have noticed lately though that my comment count on the past two chapters has been low...anyways, please leave your thoughts on my OC's and the action sequence. Until next chapter everyone!


	23. Chapter 23

**The Infiltration**

Naruto was lounging on the couch about ready to take a short nap before dinner when Sakura came into the living room. He lifted his head as she came over to him and sat on the coffee table. Glancing at her he could see the playful look in her eyes. Propping himself up on his elbow, Naruto tilted his head in curiosity. The pinkette brushed her hair behind her ear and Naruto raised a brow. It seemed like she wanted to say something to him, but she didn't know how to. He noticed she was dressed in her robes as if she were about to take a bath or something.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" he asked curiously.

"I wanted to ask you something," Sakura said with a smile and Naruto nodded, gesturing for her to ask whatever was on her mind. Licking her lips, the pinkette took in a breath and slowly let it out. "Ino and I went shopping yesterday after I finished training with Lady Tsunade..." Sakura trailed off as she stood up and Naruto looked up at her with a puzzled expression etched into his handsome face.

Naruto's eyes just about bugled out of his head when Sakura untied her robe and let it fall to the floor. His blue eyes took in the sight of Sakura in red and black lacy lingerie. As his mouth slowly started falling open, Sakura chuckled lightly and brushed her hair behind her ear. Naruto scrambled up to his feet and looked Sakura over once again. She looked good, really good. Licking his lips, Naruto used every ounce of control he had to not throw her over his shoulder and carry her into the bedroom.

The lacy material hugged her body, her slender legs had black garters on them, and the black see-through bra was pushing her breast up. It was all very good in Naruto's mind and he just wanted to rip it all off of her. They hadn't had sex in such a long time and he would be lying if he said he didn't want to screw her like a soldier on leave. It would be amazing sex, he knew it would be, because he could see that mischievous glow in her eyes. She wanted it too and when she stepped closer to him and started running her finger up and down his chest, he just about lost it. Sakura was being a sly little mink, batting those lashes, touching him teasingly, and smirking like the devil woman she was.

"So do you like it?" Sakura asked, placing her hands on her hips, admiring herself right in front of Naruto. His mouth was watering and he could feel his erection beginning to grow. "You don't like it," Sakura sighed about to walk away, but Naruto grabbed her and pulled her right back into him. She giggled as he pressed his lips onto hers and started pushing her towards their bedroom.

He was going to relish in this moment.

As their lips moved against one another's, Sakura found her hands going down into Naruto's pants. He growled deeply when she started gently stroking his length, driving him nearly insane. They got to the bedroom door and he pushed her up against it, his hands roaming her body freely from her thighs to her butt to her waist to her breast. With her free hand, Sakura felt around for the knob and twisted it when she found it. As the door fell open the two stumbled in, but not once did their lips leave the other's body.

He began kissing, sucking, and nibbling at her neck.

Her head was thrown back and she moaned as Naruto pushed her onto the bed. He crawled on top of her, fondling her breast and kissing her neck with this passion and hunger. His lust for her was intense and it made her feel so good.

Grasping the hem of his shirt, Sakura yanked it off of Naruto quickly and ran her hands over his muscled chest. Her head lolled back and Naruto trailed kisses down her neck. A moan escaped her when Naruto pulled the lacy material down to expose her hardened nipples. Her hands gripped the sheets of the bed when Naruto's mouth was on them, his tongue playfully licking and flicking her nipple.

With his free hand, Naruto gently moved it down her side until he was between her legs. Sakura moaned his name in pleasure, when his finger gently grazed her lower region. Her back arched and Naruto smirked at her actions, continuing to fondle and suck on her breast, moving between the two accordingly.

Sakura forgot just how good it felt when Naruto touched her in such sexual ways. She wondered if he remembered how good it felt. Deciding to take control, Sakura flipped them over and Naruto laughed lightly. Her hands were on his chest and she licked her lips, staring down at him in such a desirable manner. Naruto moaned when Sakura started grinding herself against his erection. Biting her lip, Sakura flipped her hair over one shoulder and leaned down, capturing Naruto's lips in a passionate and heated kiss.

When the kiss broke, Sakura started scooting back. She began to undo Naruto's pants and when the zipper came down, she reached in and pulled him out. The moment her lips touched his erection, Naruto moaned her name and let his head fall back. Her tongue, her warmth, her movement, it had him going crazy.

Sakura sucked on him, bringing him the most delectable pleasure.

Reaching for her shoulders, Naruto got her to stop and signaled for her to come back up. Smiling, Sakura did as Naruto beckoned and moaned in pleasure as he kissed her lips, her chin, her jaw, her neck, her shoulder, her collarbone, and flipped her over.

"You're very eager aren't you?" Sakura asked him.

"I'm not gonna lie, I was about to dump you for someone who would put out," Naruto teased and Sakura playfully hit his chest. He chuckled softly and pecked her lips, pulling back with his hands on either side of her head. "But then I realized, I only want you." He captured her lips and Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Naruto and Sakura both quickly pulled apart and gave each other quizzical looks. Neither one had been expecting company, nor did they invite anyone.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Seriously?" Naruto grumbled as he got up and zipped up his pants. Sakura sat up on the bed and looked a bit worried. It was strange for someone to pound on their door that way. Biting her lip, Sakura got up and grabbed Naruto's t-shirt, slipping it over her body.

"Naruto!" Sasuke's voice came from the other side of the front door. "Naruto!" he hollered again, pounding on the door three more times.

The blond staring at the door, angered at his friend's horrid timing, yanked it open with a cold glare. "You are being a cock block right now and I'm not interested in anything else other than having sex with my girlfriend, come back later." Naruto was about to slam the door in Sasuke's face, but the Uchiha forced his way in. "What the hell?" Naruto growled as his friend stood in the middle of the foyer.

"You need to get to the Hyuga Estate, right now," Sasuke informed him.

"What?" Naruto asked, utterly confused by the urgency in Sasuke's tone.

"Get dress and get to the Hyuga Estate, right now," Sasuke repeated firmly and Naruto could see that something had gone terribly wrong. "Both of you, move it!" the Uchiha urged, looking at Sakura and then back to Naruto. He let out a breath and quickly exited the house, racing in the direction of the Hyuga Estate.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked in a worried tone.

"I don't know," Naruto replied as he watched Sasuke racing along the rooftops. "We better go though, it's not like Sasuke to be that intense." Sakura could not agree with Naruto more, so she quickly ran back to their bedroom to get into something more appropriate to wear while Naruto simply slipped on his blazer hanging on the coat wrack.

* * *

Tsunade stood in the middle of the Hyuga's courtyard. She had a hand over her mouth and the other wrapped around her waist. Her amber eyes were wide with shock as she looked at the devastation. One hour ago four Hyuga clan members were murdered in their own homes, drained completely of all their blood that was now staining the stone walls and shoji doors of the estate. Tsunade let her hand fall from her mouth and closed her eyes. She wished that she didn't have to see such horrors and that the Hyuga clan didn't have to go through something so tragic. Sighing softly, Tsunade turned around when she heard footsteps approaching her.

"Did you find anything?" Tsunade asked, looking at the ANBU member as they approached.

"Unfortunately not," the ANBU man replied and Tsunade closed her eyes, nodding stiffly. That was not the news she wanted to hear at all.

"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura came running around the corner.

"What is it, Sakura?" Tsunade asked, looking at her apprentice. The pinkette stopped before her with a solemn look on her face.

"I did all that I could, but...Lord Hiashi is dead," Sakura spoke grimly and Tsunade stiffened. The ANBU member quickly bowed their head and looked back to the Hokage. The blonde woman pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.

"I want to know who did this," Tsunade demanded and the mask man nodded his head. "Go." The ANBU member bowed and vanished into thin air. Sighing heavily, Tsunade told Sakura she was going to be visiting the Barrier Division and left quietly. As she left, Sakura watched her go and looked back to the blood covered courtyard. It made her sick to her stomach seeing the blood of four Hyuga members splattered all over.

Sakura closed her eyes and shook her head. It made no sense for anyone to attack the Hyuga Clan. She believed everything was finally at peace, they had no enemies. Opening her eyes, Sakura shivered at the sight of the blood. It was like a pool in the middle of the courtyard, she had never seen so much blood so easily spilled before. Hugging herself, Sakura felt her tears threatening to spill over. She could only imagine how Hinata and Hanabi were feeling. According to the ANBU members it was Hanabi who reported this incident after returning home from training. She could only imagine the terror on the young girl's face.

"You okay?" Naruto asked, walking over to Sakura. She turned to him and a single tear fell from her eye. He was beside her in a blink of an eye and put his arms around her. Kissing the top of her head, Naruto rubbed her back and glanced over at the bloody scene. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Nodding her head, Sakura and Naruto quietly left the scene while ANBU cleaned up the mess and searched for clues. As they got up to the front Sakura's green eyes caught Hinata and Sasuke just off to the left. Her heart broke into a million pieces when Hinata collapsed onto the ground, tears falling from her eyes. Sasuke was down by Hinata's side and put his hand on her back, trying to comfort her. Closing her eyes, Sakura shook her head and cursed the monsters who had done this to the Hyuga Clan.

"We'll find who did this," Naruto said through gritted teeth as he watched Hinata crying into Sasuke's shoulder. Sakura agreed with him and walked over to the couple. When she heard Hinata sobbing a frown came onto her face. Sasuke looked up at Sakura and sighed softly as he pulled Hinata closer.

Sakura knelt down beside Hinata and placed her hand on Hinata's shoulder, offering any comfort she could. Naruto stood behind her and closed his eyes, clenching his fist tightly. No one knew what had happened for sure, everyone just said the same thing it all happened so quickly. One minute everything was fine and the next they were dead on the floor completely drained of their blood that was pooled in the middle of the courtyard. Sakura rubbed Hinata's back, telling her they would find out who did this to her family.

Hinata sat up and looked at Sakura. "That won't...change anything..." Hinata sobbed sadly and Sakura looked down at the ground. The pearl-eyed girl was right, finding out who did this wouldn't change anything, but Sakura really didn't know what else to tell her. Hinata got onto her feet and Sasuke held his hand out to her as she wobbled on trembling knees. Sakura stood up next and glanced over at Naruto, who seemed to be unsure of what to say himself.

"I'm sorry, Hinata," Sakura whispered and the pearl-eyed girl looked at her, tears still streaming down her face. Giving Sakura a weak smile, Hinata started walking away with Sasuke by her side. "How could this have happened?" Sakura asked in a low voice.

"I don't know, but we're going to find them," Naruto assured Sakura, his voice firm and honest. The pinkette turned to look at him and nodded in agreement. "Let's head home, there's nothing we can say or do for Hinata." Putting his arm around Sakura's shoulder, he led her away down the road in the direction of their home.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto was at the training grounds with his genin team. He had Ryota and Tadashi sparring against each other while Suzume was taking a short break. Leaning back against the tree, Naruto stared at the ground blankly. He hadn't been able to shake the images of blood and mangled bodies of the Hyuga clan members. All night he had been up tossing and turning, thinking of it. No matter what he did he couldn't stop thinking about it. He could hear Hinata's sobs, he couldn't stop seeing red, and the smell would not leave his nose.

"Naruto-sensei?" Tadashi called out, looking up at his spaced out sensei. Shaking his head, Naruto apologized and looked at his three students. They were all surrounding him and looked worried about him. He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a breath, saying he hadn't gotten much sleep the other night. "Is it because of what happened at the Hyuga Estate?" Tadashi asked, brushing his red hair from his bright green eyes.

"So you three heard about that already," Naruto muttered and his students all nodded their heads.

"Everyone was talking about it this morning," Suzume replied and Naruto closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What happened sensei?" the young girl asked, her purple eyes glowing with curiosity.

"We're not sure yet, but don't worry we'll find out," Naruto assured the three youngsters, so that they wouldn't worry. The Leaf village was believed to be a very safe place and for something as dark and morbid as the Hyuga massacre the other night to happen...it terrified everyone. "None of you need to worry, nothing will happen to any of you." Naruto put a hand on top of Suzume's head and ruffled up her hair. She smiled up at him and nodded her head in understanding.

"Was it an attack from another village, Naruto-sensei?" Ryota asked, looking up at Naruto with wondering gold eyes.

"We don't know, but like I said we'll find out. You three don't need to be worrying about it, just focus on your training," Naruto said, looking to each of them. They nodded their heads and he gave them all a warm smile. "Now back to training you three, we start taking missions next week." He waved them off and they all nodded heading out into the middle of the training ground. They began to do some target practice with their shuriken and kunai while Naruto remained standing in the shade of the large oak tree.

"Naruto," an ANBU member appeared on the other side of the tree. Naruto didn't turn, knowing that it was Sai, who had come.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, hoping that they weren't bearing anymore bad news.

"The Hokage is requesting you come to her office immediately," Sai told him and Naruto turned around to look at his masked friend. Holding his fingers in front of his face, Sai vanished into thin air and Naruto turned back to his students.

"You three, I have been summoned by the Hokage," Naruto announced, walking towards his students. They stopped what they were doing and turned back to him. "I'm going to have to cut this training session short. I have to go." He looked at the three and they all nodded in understanding. Saying his goodbyes, Naruto vanished in a swirl of leaves and the three students remained where they were.

"I wonder what's happening?" Ryota questioned, looking two his teammates.

"It probably has to do with the Hyuga incident," Suzume guessed with a shrug of her small shoulders, brushing her fringe out of her eyes. "We should keep training though."

"I agree after what happened, everyone is going to need to be ready for an attack," Tadashi said as he unsheathed his katana, twirling it around in his hand and admired the glinting steal.

* * *

"The infiltration was a success," a masked man said as he was kneeling in the middle of the room before Kenji Matsukata, who was cleaning his scalpels. "We've captured the young Hyuga heiress."

"Very good, we'll send them on a wild goose chase and strike again after this incident simmers down," Kenji said, holding up a scalpel and admiring it as it glinted in the light pouring in from the window. "Our next target will be the Yamanaka girl, we'll need her on our side." Kenji smiled evilly and put his scalpel down, looking to the man kneeling before him in the middle of the room.

"Yes, Lord Matsukata," the masked man replied with a nod.

"I will go to the Hyuga girl, make sure the Leaf shinobi do not catch on," Kenji said, closing up his scalpel case.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the wait everyone, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. So originally this story was going to be finished by chapter 30, but I have decided that instead of making a sequel, I would just combine the stories together extending this story another ten chapters or so. Hopefully you all will like that, leave some love and as always until next time.


	24. Chapter 24

**The Enemy**

Naruto entered the Hokage's office and turned to see Hinata in the room and she appeared to be crying. He gave her a concerned look before he turned to look at Tsunade sitting behind her desk. The older woman looked lost in thought as she stared down at the pile of papers on her desk. Tension filled the room and the air was very still. Naruto felt a bit uncomfortable all of the sudden and when he looked to his left he spotted Sasuke. The Uchiha nodded slightly to Naruto and the blond nodded back as he shut the door of the office.

When the door shut, Tsunade looked up from her desk. She sighed softly and greeted Naruto quietly. He stood in the middle of the room and glanced at everyone for a few moments. Anyone could tell that something tragic had happened. Seeing Hinata so distraught really hurt him, someone as kind and caring as Hinata didn't deserve to be hurt so badly. He clenched his fist at his sides and looked back to the Hokage.

"What the hell is going on?" Naruto growled, tired of waiting for someone to volunteer. His blue eyes were burning with questions that desperately needed answers. "Granny."

The Hokage looked at Naruto and sighed softly. "Naruto, Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi, is missing."

Naruto turned to look at Hinata, who sadly stared at the ground. She was trembling slightly and Naruto frowned. Sasuke walked over to Hinata and put his arms around her. She leaned against him and started to sob quietly. Trying his best to comfort her, Sasuke assured her that everything would be okay.

"She never came home after finding out about her father's death," Tsunade explained and laced her fingers together. She rested her chin on her knuckles and shook her head slowly. "Its obvious whoever attacked the Hyuga Estate also took Hanabi."

"Do we have any leads on who has done this?" Naruto inquired and Tsunade closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly. Huffing, Naruto looked over at Hinata and Sasuke. "I'll find her." Naruto left the room quickly.

"Naruto!" Tsunade called, but the blond man was already out the door. She cursed softly and knew exactly how he intended to find her. He'd enter Sage mode and search for the girl that way. It was a good plan, in fact it was the best thing they could do to find the young Hyuga heiress.

"Why would anyone do this?" Hinata asked softly and Sasuke pulled away from her, gently wiping away her tears.

"Don't worry, Hinata, we'll get whoever has done this," Tsunade assured her with complete and total sincerity. The pearl-eyed beauty turned to the older woman and nodded once knowingly. "You should go home and be with your family." Tsunade nodded towards the door and Hinata agreed, making her way to the door while Sasuke remained in the room.

"Lady Tsunade, I have a question," Sasuke spoke up and the woman looked at him, furrowing her brows in confusion. "The people that have done this, what are the chances they reside within the Leaf?" he inquired and Tsunade sighed softly.

"It's a possibility," Tsunade answered truthfully. "I find it hard to believe the Barrier Unit missed anyone out of the ordinary, it's unlike them to not pick up on a dangerous chakra signature. Also to take out four Hyuga clan members so easily, they would have to know a thing or two about them and their home."

"Do you believe it might have been a Hyuga member?" Sasuke inquired.

"We're considering every possibility," Tsunade answered softly and Sasuke looked away from her, nodding his head in compliance. "Something else is on your mind though isn't it?" Tsunade asked with a smirk.

"No," Sasuke lied as he left the room.

* * *

Naruto searched the entire village and the surrounding area, but he couldn't pick up on any trace of Hanabi's chakra or presence. There wasn't even a hint of an enemy, it was all so normal and that to Naruto was odd. All he could think was after the enemy had attacked, they had taken off far behind his reach. Shaking his head, Naruto opened up his eyes and cursed under his breath. There was no way that anyone could have taken off so quickly, it didn't make any sense at all. Running his fingers through his hair, Naruto's golden eyes slowly reverted back to their alluring blue shades.

"Any luck?" Kiba's voice came from behind and Naruto looked over his shoulder. He shook his head slowly and apologized, but Kiba shook his head. "We'll find her, Naruto." Kiba walked over to the railing and looked over the village.

"Of course we will," Naruto replied and Kiba smirked before hopping onto the railing.

"We got the best trackers in the village," Kiba paused and glanced at Naruto, "Later." He jumped from the roof and Akamaru joined him. Naruto watched as the white hound ran off with Kiba riding on his back. Looking up at the bright blue sky, Naruto sighed softly and ran his fingers through his hair. The breeze picked up and Naruto felt a presence behind him.

"I thought you would be with Hinata," Naruto said as he turned to look at Sasuke standing behind him with his arms crossed over his chest. "She needs you." The blond smiled at his friend and approached him, stopping just a few steps away from him.

"You need to watch over Sakura," Sasuke said suddenly, which caused Naruto to furrow his brows. He had no idea what the Uchiha was getting at, but it was making him uneasy.

"What brought this on?" Naruto inquired.

"Just do it," Sasuke told him and Naruto stared at him completely unsure of what to even think. What purpose did Sasuke have to believe that Sakura was in any type of danger? Besides, Naruto always kept a close watch over the pinkette.

"Sasuke," Naruto called his name as the Uchiha was about to head down the stairs. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I told you everything," Sasuke explained as he continued down the stairs, but Naruto snorted. He hated when Sasuke went into his cryptic mode. Lately Sasuke had been so happy and surprisingly cheerful, in his own unique way. Naruto let out a breath and shook his head, turning his eyes in the direction of the hospital. Taking Sasuke's advice, the young man decided to go check up on his beautiful girlfriend.

* * *

Ino Yamanaka hummed a little song as she was watering the flowers in the front display window of the flower shop. It was late in the afternoon and only two more hours before she could close up the shop. Today was a special day, it was her and Shikamaru's two year anniversary. He was taking her out to dinner tonight at her favorite sushi restaurant. Sighing once she finished watering her plants, Ino nodded happily and went to the storage closet to grab the broom and dust pan. The quicker she could clean the store the more time she would have to get ready for the night.

Opening up the storage closet, Ino turned around when she heard the bells jingle on the door. She put a smile on her face and greeted the customer as they walked into view. Closing the storage closet door, Ino walked forth and bowed slightly to the gentleman who entered her family's shop. Her blue eyes studied the man as he examined the flowers and vases on the display shelves. He was a young man probably about twenty-three years of age. When young men came in, Ino always got excited assuming they were looking for flowers for the girl of their dreams.

"Good afternoon sir, how may I help you?" Ino asked cheerfully, resting her hands in front of her apron covered legs. "Shopping for a special someone?" she pressed with a little giggle.

The man leaned forward to smell some marigolds. Ino tilted her head curiously as he slowly turned to her. She blushed when she saw him, he was beautiful with flawless ivory skin and shimmering purple eyes. As he stood up straight his silky umber hair fell into his face. Carefully, he brushed his hair from his face and his lips curled into a kind smile. Ino felt her heart skip a beat and she instantly felt guilty because she had Shikamaru, but this man was undeniably handsome.

"Yes, a very special someone," he replied, his voice smooth and rich. Ino found herself leaning forward and her mouth parting slightly as he faced her. His build was lean, face clean shaven, and he was dressed in wrinkle free clothing. "She's going through troubling times and I would like to cheer her up," he explained to Ino, smiling at her warmly.

_This guy is so hot! _Ino thought excitedly. "Oh, what's she like?" the blonde girl asked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. He laughed lightly and looked up at the ceiling for a few moments. Ino eyed him like a piece of meat and bit her lip, feeling so guilty for mentally undressing the man. He couldn't have been a ninja because she had never seen him before and she knew just about every shinobi in the Leaf.

"She's the love of my life," the man said with a smile and Ino cooed in excitement, clasping her hands together. "We've been together for three years now and I'm really thinking I want to settle down with her."

"Oh that's so sweet, people like you are why I love working here," Ino commented with a smile. The man smiled back and nodded his head, his endearing purple eyes looking so rich and potent.

"What a charming young lady," the man said and Ino blushed.

"Thank you," Ino gushed, brushing her fringe behind her ear. The man nodded and looked around the shop, he looked past her and Ino furrowed her brows. He was looking at the wreaths on the work table in the back.

"Those must be for the Hyuga clan members that were murdered," he commented and Ino looked over her shoulder a frown coming onto her pretty face. She sighed softly and nodded her head sadly. "Such a shame."

"Yeah, it really is," Ino replied quietly and looked back at the man. "They won't get away with it." Ino started walking back towards the work bench and the man followed after her. She admired the white roses attached to the wreath. Her mother and herself had been working on them all morning.

"Beautiful work for such a tragedy," the man muttered and Ino looked down at the ground. He was standing behind her and watched her curiously. "So you really don't think they'll get away with it?" he inquired and Ino's head raised up quickly. Whirling around, Ino looked at the man in annoyance.

"Well of course!" Ino snapped at him and he smirked at her.

"Sorry, it's just that the girl is missing now," the man pointed out and Ino calmed herself. "And they can't seem to find her anywhere."

"They will though," Ino said positively and the man stared at her with intrigue. "Why do you doubt them?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Just stating the facts," he told her and Ino narrowed her eyes at him. Something didn't feel right about him all of the sudden. She could feel something dark and sinister looming about him. He wasn't handsome to her anymore, he seemed violent and dangerous. His eyes were not alluring and charming anymore they seemed cold and distant.

Ino backed away from him.

The bells on the door jingled and the man turned around. Ino let out a soft breath of relief and looked to see Sasuke Uchiha standing in the doorway. Her brows knit together in confusion, it was rare for Sasuke to come by. Although Ino decided to be grateful he came. The purple-eyed man looked back to Ino and smiled weakly.

"Thank you," he told her as he walked away. As he passed Sasuke they stared at each other for a few seconds before he continued on his way. The Uchiha watched him go down the street through the window before looking over at Ino.

She looked back at him and sighed softly. After a few moments of silence Ino asked, "what are you doing here, Sasuke?"

"The wreaths," Sasuke answered.

"Oh, right, I'll get them," Ino replied as she went to pick up the two white rose wreaths.

"You okay?" he inquired when she came back to the front desk with the two wreaths.

"I'm fine," she smiled weakly and Sasuke nodded his head.

* * *

Naruto had found Sakura and explained what was going on, he even mentioned Sasuke's odd behavior. Sakura had brushed it off though, saying he was just worried about Hinata. Naruto wasn't so sure if he believed that was the case. Sasuke was not one to crack under pressure even when the odds were severely against them. He just had too much pride to waver under such things.

They were outside in the courtyard, Sakura sitting on a bench and Naruto was standing before he. His blue eyes studied her closely, he couldn't shake his worry. The pinkette looked up at him with shimmering green eyes and smiled warmly at him. Reaching for his hand, Sakura gave it a gentle squeeze and assured him that everything was fine. He let out a breath and nodded slowly, deciding that for now he would just have to trust her. He had other things to worry about after all, the longer Hanabi was missing the higher the risk of her being dead became.

"You'll find her, Naruto," Sakura assured him and he nodded in agreement.

"I know," Naruto replied quietly. "Are you okay, Sakura?" he asked with a genuine concern, causing Sakura to giggle lightly.

"Of course I am," she said with a smile. "You don't have to worry about me, Naruto, I'll be fine." She stood up and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.

"Well if you're sure, I'll let you get back to work," Naruto said as they parted. "See you at home tonight?" he questioned.

"Yes," Sakura replied.

"Oh, Sakura there you are," a male voice came.

Both Sakura and Naruto turned to the sound of the voice and there stood Kenji Matsukata. The pinkette moved away from Naruto slightly and greeted the man with a small bow. He smiled at her and bowed back before turning to look at Naruto. The blond seemed a bit confused, obviously Sakura had never mentioned Kenji to him before. His smokey grey eyes looked back to the pinkette as he continued to approach, stopping just a few steps away from the couple.

"Kenji I didn't know you were still in the village," Sakura commented.

"I'll be leaving shortly," Kenji explained to her with a soft smile. "This must be the boyfriend." He gestured to Naruto

"Naruto this is Kenji Matsukata, he's a colleague," Sakura introduced. "Kenji this is Naruto Uzumaki, my boyfriend." She moved closer to Naruto and he instinctively put his arm around her waist. The way Kenji was looking at Sakura made Naruto a bit uneasy.

"It's nice to meet you," Kenji said with a smile. "I've heard a lot about you from Sakura as well as others. You are quite the hero, Naruto Uzumaki." The wind blew between them, causing his hair to fall into his eyes.

"Well, I've never heard of you," Naruto retorted with narrowed eyes.

"Ah, so Sakura never told you about us," Kenji spoke as he looked at Sakura, who narrowed her eyes at him.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So I have started a new job and it's really getting in the way of my writing time, so that's why updates are slow. I do promise to update as much as I can though, thank you to everyone for the support! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please leave me some feedback! Until next time everyone, take care!

**P.S. **If I were to write an action/adventure/romance piece about Team 7 who would read it?


	25. Chapter 25

**The Mind**

Kenji Matsukata was a brilliant man. He was handsome, he was talented, and most of all he was completely diabolical. Of course, most people didn't know that last bit about him. On the street, Kenji was just a typical man who worked for his money and helped those that he could. Most would say he was a kind and gentle soul, but those who knew him beyond that knew otherwise. Long ago, Sakura believed that Kenji Matsukata was a kind and generous man who only cared about the well being of his patients, but now something seemed off. His demeanor was a lot different from their first encounter in Suna years ago. He was a little colder and his eyes a bit darker.

As he stood there before her and Naruto, she tried to read his expression. A crooked smile and a very faint glint in his eyes. At first she just assumed it was jealousy of seeing her with Naruto, but somehow her gut was telling her otherwise. To Naruto he probably seemed jealous and annoyed, but Sakura had spent several months with Kenji and knew him well. At least well enough to know he was planning something. For years Kenji had been missing and she always wondered what happened to him. Someone who was as gifted in medical ninjutsu should be known far and wide, however very few had ever heard of him.

Naruto kept his arm around Sakura and was gently stroking her hip with his thumb. It brought he comfort knowing he was there. Being alone around Kenji right now was probably not a wise choice. Especially since he always fancied her, complimenting her beauty and medical skills. When she was younger she enjoyed the flattery, but now it was different. He wasn't the same man and she didn't know why. Granted after years of being in the medical field even she changed some.

"I have to get back to work, Kenji," Sakura said, hoping that the whole conversation would end with that and they could just go their separate ways. The dark eyed man looked to Sakura and smiled warmly. It wasn't a genuine smile, it was forced and faked. His smile reminded her of Sai's when he first joined their team when they were fifteen. "I'll see you tonight." She turned to Naruto and kissed his cheek before slipping from his hold and going towards the hospital.

"Quite the gem," Kenji commented and Naruto stared at him for a few moments. "You are a lucky man, I could have use someone like her."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man and crossed his arms over his chest. "Excuse me?" The very thought of this man talking about Sakura like she was a piece of property man his blood boil.

"She's incredibly gifted," Kenji replied with a small shrug and Naruto just stared at him coldly. "I'm sure you are aware of that."

Naruto licked his lips. "Yeah, I am."

"Then I shall save my breath," Kenji stated with a weak smile, placing his hands behind his back. Naruto looked the man up and down, examining him closely. Lean build, handsome, dark gray eyes, dark hair, fair skin, and dressed in ordinary civilian clothes of light colored pants and a dark blue shirt. Nothing about him seemed threatening, but the tone of his voice was dark and made Naruto's stomach churn.

"Naruto!" Kiba's voice came, breaking Naruto and Kenji's stare down. The blond turned his attention to the speaker and spotted the dog master running up the sidewalk with Akamaru at his side. "We've found Hanabi!"

Naruto's blue eyes widened in surprise. "Where was she?" Naruto asked as he walked over to the front gate to meet Kiba. The dog master stopped and panted, explaining that she had just appeared at the village gates. She had just walked out of the forest and was completely unharmed. "Did she say anything?" Naruto asked with a furrowed brow.

"No, not really," Kiba replied simply with a shrug. "It's weird, but they are going to have Ino look into her mind and see if she can figure anything out. Hanabi insist that she's fine, but we can't be too careful." The brunette before Naruto shoved his hands into the pockets of his black leather jacket.

"I agree," Naruto said softly and Kiba nodded his head before his chocolate eyes fell upon Kenji Matsukata. The man approached them and Akamaru growled lowly, causing Naruto to turn around and seeing Kenji coming forth.

"The Hyuga heiress has been found?" Kenji asked curiously as he approached. Kiba patted the top of Akamaru's head and answered with a small nod. He never remembered seeing this guy before. "That's wonderful news." Kenji clasped his hands together and Kiba narrowed his eyes.

"Who is this guy?" Kiba asked Naruto, jutting a thumb in the direction of Kenji.

"I'm not really sure," Naruto answered as he looked at Kenji, who chortled. "A friend of Sakura's, I guess."

"Friend?" Kiba muttered in confusion.

"Kenji Matsukata," he introduced himself with a small bow.

"Kiba Inuzuka."

"Ah, I knew it," Kenji smiled as he gestured to the large white dog beside him. "Your clan is famed for working with ninja hounds."

"Indeed," Kiba answered with a single nod. "We have to go now, come on, Naruto." Kiba waved for Naruto to follow him and started walking back towards the Torture and Interrogation Unit where Hanabi had been sent. Lady Tsunade demanded she be held for twenty-four hours before allowing her to return home. They wanted to observe her and make sure that the enemy hadn't done something to her.

"I hope that all is well," Kenji said as the two started walking away.

Once they were out of sight, Kenji smirked and turned around to see a man clad in ANBU gear and a white mask with red markings painted onto it.

"Did you finish the job?" Kenji asked.

"Yes," the man replied with a nod of his head. A smirk came onto Kenji's face and he nodded his head proudly. "Things are going according to plan, sir, what shall we do now?" the masked man questioned.

"We lay low for a little while, we don't want to raise suspicions," Kenji answered softly and turned around. "We they release the girl, watch over her."

"Yes sir," the masked man bowed his head and vanished into a puff of smoke. Kenji started walking out of the hospital courtyard and stopped when he got to the gates. He turned to look back at the large rectangular building. On the fourth floor, Sakura Haruno was standing by a window speaking with a patient.

"Your time will come too, Sakura Haruno." Kenji continued on his way, he had a lot to plan before leaving the Hidden Leaf for a little while.

* * *

Hanabi Hyuga sat in the middle of a square room, facing a two way mirror. She was looking straight ahead, wondering who stood on the other side. Her sister was most likely there and she would bet Sasuke was there too along with a couple of ANBU guards and there was no denying that Ibiki Morino was there. Biting her lip, Hanabi flicked her silky black hair from her face and sighed softly. She had told them she was fine, all she wanted was to get away from a little while. Could it be such a crime for a young girl such as herself to be alone after finding her father's body laying in a pool of his own blood?

They were treating her like a danger to the village, locking her in this room, suppressing her chakra, and leaving her handcuffed in the room. Shaking her head, the young Hyuga heiress cursed them for being so untrusting.

The light above her head was buzzing loudly and annoyingly. She looked up at it and huffed, she just wanted to break it. Looking away from the light, Hanabi closed her eyes for a few moments. She didn't want to close her eyes though, because she saw images of her family members. They were strewn on the floor like articles of clothing or rag dolls, bodies pale from all the blood being drained, the walls were scarlet red, the walls, everything it was covered in red.

Gasping, Hanabi's eyes shot open and she could feel her tears pricking at her eyes. She had only been gone for one day, she hadn't eaten, hadn't showered, and she couldn't even sleep. The horrors of her families death haunted her and it was making her irritable. Sucking in a deep breath, Hanabi tried to calm herself, but she felt a panic attack coming on. There was a pressure in her chest, her stomach was churning, and goose flesh rose on her bare arms. Soon Hanabi was trembling and she couldn't even find her voice to ask someone for help.

On the other side of the glass, Hinata Hyuga watched her sister closely. She shook her head when she saw Hanabi beginning to panic. There was no doubt that the young teenager had been traumatized by the sight of her dead family members. Hinata herself had been terrified of the sight, she couldn't even think straight. Running her fingers through her hair, Hinata hugged herself and leaned against the glass, watching Hanabi as she trembled slightly in the wooden chair.

They had only just found her an hour ago and did a brief medical exam. She was perfectly fine, nothing seemed wrong with her aside from exhaustion and hunger. Hinata kind of understood why Hanabi had run off, but at the same time she understood Lady Tsunade's orders. There was no telling if Hanabi ran off involuntarily unless the watched her and probed her mind. It was all for safety of the village and the other clans, there was no telling if they would strike again. The Hyuga clan had no enemies, or at least they assumed they didn't have any.

"She'll be okay," Sasuke's voice rang in her ears softly. The pearl-eyed girl smiled weakly and turned to look at the Uchiha. He was staring at her with his dark eyes, while he rarely let his emotions show, Hinata could tell he was worried about her. Pressing her lips together in a firm line, Hinata nodded stiffly and Sasuke frowned. He walked over to Hinata and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it in a comforting manner.

Hinata bit her lip and wrapped her arms around Sasuke, clinging to him tightly for comfort. He stiffened at first a bit surprised by her sudden action. She sobbed quietly into his chest and he put his arms around her gently, rubbing her back in hopes it would comfort and calm her worried demeanor. Holding her safely in his arms, Sasuke kissed the top of her head and looked through the two way mirror at Hanabi. He shook his head and turned his attention to the metal door in the middle of the wall across from them.

It came open a moment later and Hinata pulled away from Sasuke to see who was coming in. She smiled warmly when Ino entered the room with Morino Ibiki. The man with the scared face looked as stoic as ever and looked to Hinata and Sasuke, nodding once. Ino smiled back at Hinata and walked over to her, giving her a warm hug, promising she would do everything she could to help Hanabi. The older Hyuga nodded her head in understanding and the two girl's parted. Turning back to Ibiki, Ino said she was ready to go in and he gestured for her to enter. Looking back to the three in the observation chamber of the room, Ino nodded and walked over to the door.

When Ino entered the room and Hanabi looked to her. The blonde closed the door quietly behind herself and smiled at Hanabi, assuring her that everything would be okay. The young girl nodded her head stiffly and watched as Ino approached her. Blue eyes locked with opaque lavender and Ino gave her a soft smile before doing a few hand signs. Hanabi watched as Ino stared into her eyes and placed her index and middle finger against her forehead. The Hyuga girl felt like the room was spinning and her eyes slowly closed.

Letting out a breath, Ino began to delve into the girl's memories. She stared at Hanabi and watched as the girl's eyes moved back and forth behind her closed lids. Soon Ino found herself within Hanabi's mind.

It was blank, endlessly white.

It was glowing almost and was completely empty.

Ino furrowed her brows, it was unlike a person to have a mind so blank like this. Normally a person's mind was more vivid with at least a single room, but this place was desolate. It scared Ino a little bit, because she had only entered two minds that were as white and empty as this. Both of those minds belonged to two rogue ninja of jounin level, who were masters of genjutsu. Hanabi who had only recently become a chuunin should not have a mind so blank. Ino looked around to see if there was anything that she was missing.

Tilting her head, Ino saw a metal door appear. Cautiously, Ino approached the door and stopped when she noticed a red liquid streak coming from the top. It slowly rolled down and when it hit the white floor, Ino jumped back. The door began to bleed a dark red and pooled around by her feet. She gasped and started walking back as the blood came after her in tentacle like form. The tendrils were reached towards her, trying to touch her.

"Genjutsu!" Ino gasped and bumped into a wall. She looked back at the wall and felt something drip onto her cheek. She slowly lifted her blue eyes up towards the ceiling and screamed as more blood began to pool and drip from above. Moving away from the wall, Ino gagged as blood cascaded down like dark red waterfall. The once white room was now completely soaked in blood.

"This will all be over soon," a voice spoke.

Ino knew the voice it was so familiar, yet she couldn't place it.

"You will do as we say," the person said, male voice, warm and suave.

Ino felt something wrap around her ankles and arms. She tried to struggle, but it was useless. She was lifted from the ground and cursed at the person as the blood tendrils kept her trapped.

"Just a simple mind control jutsu and you can be free to go," the person said in their smooth voice. Ino tried to look for the person, but she couldn't see anyone all she could hear was his voice.

"Who are you? And what are you trying to do?" Ino demanded. The pool of blood started to raise and gave shape to a man. Ino's eyes widened in shock as a man with umber hair and rich purple eyes appeared before her. "You're the man that came to the flower shop!" Ino gasped and tried to break free again, but it was futile.

"This will be less painful if you don't struggle, Miss Yamanaka," he said softly as he approached and preformed several hand signs. Ino glared at him and turned her head away from him as he reached for her. A electric shock jolted through her body and she gasped at the tingling sensation shooting through her nerves.

"What have you done to Hanabi?" Ino snapped.

"The same as I have done to you," the man replied and Ino narrowed her eyes at him. "We're coming, Miss Yamanaka and we'll use you and this girl to get what we want."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ino growled.

"You'll find out soon enough," the man assured her and Ino shook her head. This was not good at all the enemy had infiltrated a shinobi and now she herself was in danger. "You will forget all of this, you will find nothing wrong and report that to your superiors." The man gently touched Ino's face and she tried to bite his fingers.

"Screw you!" Ino shouted.

"You will," the man smirked and snapped his fingers.

Ino pulled her hand away from Hanabi's head moments later and felt like the room was spinning. Placing a hand to her head, Ino tried to remember what had happened. Though her mind seemed exhausted, she didn't remember much of anything. Looking down at the ground, Ino recalled Hanabi being in the forest, crying over the loss of her family members. There was nothing more than that.

"Ino?" Ibiki questioned as he entered the room. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just dug a little too deep and saw the scenes of her family again," Ino explained softly. "She was kidnapped or anything, she just...she was simply grieving. She's perfectly fine, Ibiki."

"You're certain of this?" Ibiki inquired.

Ino looked at Hanabi and back to Ibiki. "Yes."

* * *

Sakura yawned as she was walking up the pathway to her home. She was ready to shower, eat, and sleep. Since tomorrow was her day-off she was even more excited because she would be able to sleep in. Pulling out her keys from her purse, Sakura unlocked the front door and walked into the house. She shut the door quietly behind her and took off her shoes, pushing to aside near the wall. When she looked down, she saw that Naruto's shoes were there as well. She hadn't expected him to be home, yet it was only five o'clock.

"Naruto?" Sakura called out as she made her way to the kitchen, dropping her bag on the counter. She listened and heard water running. Walking to the direction of the bathroom, Sakura stopped at the half-open door and knocked gently. "Naruto?"

"Oh you're home," Naruto said, poking his head from around the shower curtain. He had soapy suds in his hair and looked kind of silly, which caused Sakura to giggle. "What time is it?" Naruto asked.

"Five," Sakura replied as she hopped onto the counter of the sink and leaned back against the wall beside the medicine cabinet. "You're home early."

"Hanabi came back," Naruto explained as he went behind the shower curtain to rinse the soap out of his hair.

"Is she okay?" Sakura inquired, watching Naruto's figure move behind the curtain.

"They seem to think she is, but they still want to keep her under surveillance for twenty-four hours," Naruto explained as the warm water rolled down his neck and over his strong shoulders. He let out a breath, putting his hand against the wall of the shower, letting his head hang down. The water relaxed him after he had been in sage mode for so long it tired him out. "What I don't understand is how I couldn't pick up where she was."

"I don't know," Sakura replied with a shrug and slid off of the counter. "But if she's okay that's all that matters, right?" the pinkette inquired as she started to undress from her nurse uniform, letting it fall onto the tile floor.

"Yeah, you're right," Naruto agreed as he stood up straight. "And Hinata was relieved too," Naruto added in with a soft smile.

"I'm happy for her," Sakura spoke as she walked towards the shower curtain. She reached for it and slowly pulled it back, allowing herself to slip inside. Naruto turned around and looked through the steam, seeing Sakura standing at the other end of the tub.

"Wow," Naruto breathed as he looked at Sakura, taking in every curve, every inch of skin on her slender figure. All that yoga and training had kicked her, her body was toned, fit, and sexy. The sight of her damping skin from the moisture was making Naruto's heart race. Sakura smiled at him playfully and Naruto smirked at her. "This time, Sasuke ain't going to ruin it." Naruto shook his head and Sakura laughed lightly.

Naruto moved closer to Sakura until the distance between them was a mere inch. Her green eyes stared right into those azure pools of his. Reaching for his whiskered face, Sakura smiled and Naruto placed his hands over hers. Moving her hands from his face, Naruto took hold of her petite wrist and lifted her arms above her head. He pinned her back against the shower wall, the coldness caused Sakura's body to become covered in gooseflesh. Her nipples hardened and Naruto admired her for a few more moments before capturing her lips in a fiery and passionate kiss. She bit his bottom lip and Naruto let out a pleasured growl from deep within his throat. He pushed his body against hers and placed his free hand on her waist. The touch of his hand made her arch her back and he smiled against their kiss, angling his head a bit more, deepening their kiss.

Sakura moaned against the kiss when Naruto's hand gently traced up her sides. Shivers shot up and down her spine and Naruto let go of her wrist. They slowly came down onto his ropy shoulder muscles. His hands went to the back of her thighs and he lifted her up. Sakura pulled back from him and smiled at him seductively. He looked into her eyes and pushed her closer to the wall to help keep her up.

Naruto closed his eyes as he leaned forward, trailing soft butterfly kisses from her jaw, down her neck, onto her collarbone, and in between her breast. Sakura moaned in pleasure and Naruto smiled as he kissed the spot between her breast, nibbling slightly. She bit her lip to hold in her pleasured cry. Naruto could feel himself hardening as he took her right breast into his mouth, suckling on it gently. Sakura gripped his shoulders tightly, digging her nails into his skin as the pleasure of his tongue flicking her nipple rippled throughout her entire body.

Naruto moved to her left breast and did the same thing. Sakura had never wanted him more as they were wet and naked in the steam shower. It was sexy, pleasurable, and hot. She ran her fingers through his wet blond hair and gripped it tightly. Pulling his head back Naruto moaned when Sakura leaned down and kissed his lips, playfully nibbling on them, their tongues touching for a few moments before Naruto broke away.

"Do it," Sakura breathed and Naruto smirked, nodding his head as he gripped her hips and she tightened her hold around his waist. "Naruto," she moaned as she felt him moving the tip of his erection against her entrance. Her held fell back against the wall gently and she moaned as he slowly pushed himself into her.

"Sakura," Naruto growled deeply as her walls tightened around him, sending pleasure waves throughout his entire body. He forgot just how damn good it felt to be inside of her. It had been far too long for them to have not had sex. Sakura gasped as Naruto thrust in and out of her, making her forget everything. She moaned and cried out in pleasure as Naruto continued to pound into her, the sound of their flesh smacking together began to echo in the bathroom along with their grunts and moans.

Both of them were nearing their end after several minutes of going at it. Sakura could feel the pleasure building in within her, she couldn't describe the feeling. All she could do was succumb to it and let her body do what it wanted. Biting her lips, Sakura tried to hold in her scream of pleasure, but it was useless. The cry erupted from within her as the electricity and butterflies tackled every nerve in her body. Naruto lost himself shortly after, feeling himself lose all control. He let himself go inside of her and cried out in pleasure.

Naruto gently let Sakura down and she fell against him. He too almost slumped over for his body was so weak from the orgasm. Clutching Sakura close to his body, he kissed the top of her head and let out a breath as he slowly turned around to shut off the water. Sakura's breathing was a bit labored and Naruto could see she was ready to curl up in bed. Smiling warmly, Naruto found what little energy he had let and scooped the slender girl up into his arms.

"I love you, Sakura," Naruto whispered into her ear as he carried her to the bedroom.

"I love you too," Sakura muttered back gently as she laid her head against his bare chest.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ugh, I am so behind on all my stories because I have like no time to write. But I promise all my stories will get updated ASAP, hopefully this chapter was worth the wait and I made it a little longer than usual to apologize for my lack of updating. Please leave your feedback, your support encourages me so much! Until next time everyone!

**P.S. **The action/adventure/romance story I was speaking about in the last chapter has been posted and is called **Resonance. **Check it out please!


	26. Chapter 26

**The Plan**

Kenji sat in the small house. A house that had a small living room, kitchen, a bathroom, and a bed room. It was just enough for one person to live comfortably and quietly, which is exactly what he needed. After having started his master plan, Kenji wanted to lay low and let things calm down around the Leaf. He had stationed a small hiding place just a couple of hours outside of the Leaf Village, close enough to keep and eye on things but far enough to not be considered a threat. Everything was going according to plan, no one in the Leaf had suspected anything of Hanabi or Ino.

The investigation for the Hyuga Clan murders were still going on, but the heat had died down a bit. Kenji had already put something in motion to cease all the searches for the supposed murders of the Hyuga members. Granted the plan may have been a little on the theatrical side, but Kenji always like to be dramatic about things. The set-up was made so that the rest of his plan would fall into place perfectly.

Everything that Danzo wanted to achieve would happen, Kenji was going to make sure of it. That man, Danzo, had changed his life. He had rescued him from the darkest pits and taught him just how incredible of a ninja he could be. Sinking back into his chair, Kenji stared out the large window that over looked the small meadow that surrounded his little home. It was such a lovely morning and Kenji felt very content in that moment.

Danzo had loved the village of Konoha and would stop at nothing to protect it. The strength and protect of the village was all that ever mattered to him. Of course, many opposed his views in how to run the village, so Danzo had created the secret organization of Root. Kenji now wanted to complete the great plan Danzo had dreamed of. The plan to make Konoha the strongest village in the Shinobi World. Kenji had made it his mission to make Konoha what Danzo wanted and so much more. He would make it stronger, he would cull out the weak and improve the strong. After years of studying medical records, clan histories, and traveling all around the shinobi world, Kenji had finally decided to make his move.

He already had a hold on the Hyuga clan and now after getting into the mind of the Yamanaka clan's finest kuniochi, the rest would be so simple. With Ino under his control gaining other bloodlines would be an easy task. He would conduct test to see how to improve their jutsu, he would create more members, everything would be just as he had been planning. A smile came onto his face as he thought about finally starting, no one would even suspect a thing. It was the perfect plan for infiltrating a village with their own shinobi.

He was taking their best assets and would use it against them. His plan didn't just stop in the Leaf Village though, their were a select few shinobi from other nations that had caught his eye and he was ready to take them as well.

"Would you be proud of me, Lord Danzo?" Kenji asked as he turned to a picture on the wall. He got up from his chair and walked over to the framed photo. It was taken when he was seven years old and with Lord Danzo, it was a summer afternoon and the same day that Kenji had been recruited for Root. Sixteen years had come and gone since that photo was taken and still the memory of Danzo taking him in was fresh in his mind.

He had been a little kid who knew hardly anything about being a shinobi. Danzo taught him everything he knew about the shinobi world. Without him Kenji probably would have died in the forest. He had no family, no friends, and no chance of survival. Danzo Shimura stumbled upon him though, skin and bones, the light fading from his eyes. He always told him that he knew there was something about Kenji, that even when all the lights had gone out he still kept going. Kenji believed in what Danzo told him and clung to them tightly, after his death, Kenji fled from the village.

After the Fourth Shinobi War, he remembered Danzo's love from the Leaf Village and knew that with everything left in shambles, it would be the perfect time to commence Danzo's plan of making Konoha everything it could be. He went and found the remaining members of Root, the very few that remained and brought them together. They would not let Danzo's dream die, they would help create Konoha and turn it into a new nation.

* * *

"I can't believe you and Naruto have been together for a year now," Ino gushed in surprise as she and Sakura were having some dango in the cool fall air. Tomorrow would be Sakura and Naruto's one year anniversary and in a way, Sakura couldn't even believe it herself. She never thought they would have worked out or lasted as long as they had. Even though it had been a year, Sakura still felt like they had just gotten together. They had been through so much in the past year, more than she ever expected to deal with at such a young age.

"Well haven't you and Shikamaru been together for like two and a half years now?" Sakura inquired with a raised brow as she brought her small cup of tea to her lips. The blonde girl beside smiled warmly and nodded her head.

The time had just seemed to fly past them. They were grown up now, everyone in their group were now twenty-three or they would soon be twenty-three. Running her fingers through her hair, Sakura shook her head and stared up at the blue skies above. Everyone had become great shinobi now or made something of themselves. Naruto was on his way to becoming the Hokage and had a genin team, Shikamaru would be his advisor, Kiba led the best tracking team in the village, Ino would one day take over Ibiki Morino's place at the Torture and Interrogation unit, and Sakura herself was soon to be named the leader of the Medical Corp. There were rumors now that even Rock Lee and Tenten were taking on genin team's of their own soon.

"When did we grow up?" Ino questioned, but she didn't really expect any sort of answer. She was merely thinking out loud and Sakura herself wondered the same question. They'd done hundreds of missions, they'd witness a war, and were soon to become the new leaders of the Leaf. Tsunade had been talking about stepping down from being Hokage, she said that within another two years her reign would finally be over.

"I keep thinking about everything everyone's accomplished up to this point. We used to be bratty kids who didn't know anything and now look at us," Sakura commented with a light-hearted laugh. "We're going to be the next generation to lead this village." Ino looked at Sakura nodded as she thought about the Will of Fire they would be passing on.

"We'll celebrate all of that tonight," Ino said with a bright smile.

"You bet!" Sakura agreed with a wink. The two girls had decided to have a dinner party and had invited all of their friends to attend. She was looking forward to it, they all hadn't been together since the Spring Festival. "I bet head home, I have a lot of cooking and preparations to do." Sakura stood up from the wooden bench and Ino nodded her head.

"I'll bring dessert, I have a new recipe that is to die for," Ino informed Sakura before she started walking away. "See you at six." Waving goodbye, Ino watched as the pinkette made her way down the street towards the market where she would be picking up some items for dinner that evening. She sighed softly and finished the last of her tea and got up to her feet. Dusting off her sweater dress, Ino decided to head back to the flower shop to get some bouquets done.

"Ino," a voice called and she stopped to turn around.

She didn't see anyone, so she shook her head thinking she was just hearing things. When she turned back around, she gasped and stumbled back as a man was standing inches from her face. Her blue eyes widened in shock when she saw those intense purple eyes and rich umber hair falling into his face.

"Don't scream and stay where you are," he commanded gently and Ino did as she was told, but she couldn't fathom why. "I need you to do something for me," he whispered into her ear as she stood frozen in place. His hands wrapped around her upper arms and she wanted to run away from him, but she couldn't move a muscle. He began telling her what to do and for some reason she couldn't deny him, so she nodded her head. "That's my girl," he said with a smile, gently stroking the side of her face.

When she blinked, he was gone.

* * *

Naruto yawned as he leaned back against a knotty old tree and watched his students training in the middle of the field. They were slowly, but surely getting stronger and it gave him a sense of pride. He watched them each individually as they sparred against one another, there movements calculated and their jutsu's perfectly timed. Nodding his head, Naruto smirked when he watched Ryota charge at Tadashi, they were the perfect rivals for one another. Suzume often reprimanded them for always fighting, but Naruto figured it built a camaraderie between them all. The way his team functioned reminded him a lot of his own team when they first began. Now he understood why Kakashi would always get frustrated with them, it made him laugh.

"I gotta hand it to you sensei, you and the other two picked out a good group for me," Naruto commented when Kakashi walked up the trail with his nose buried in one of Jiraiya's books. He shook his head, Kakashi hadn't changed much at all in the past several years. Sometimes Naruto believed reading those books made men terminal bachelors. "I really like them," Naruto said softly and Kakashi chuckled, closing his perverted book and stuffed it into the pouch on his hip.

"I picked Ryota," Kakashi admitted and Naruto looked at him. "You two are so similar." The blond laughed lightly and nodded in agreement, there was no denying Ryota was the loud, rambunctious one of the group.

Ryota Yuhara was tough though, Naruto had come to find that he was ambitious and resilient, but most of all he was brave. No matter what Naruto threw at them, Ryota never showed any fear. He stood tall and had a fire in his eyes. Naruto saw a lot of himself within Ryota, he was goofy and could be a little insensitive at times and maybe even brash. Those gold eyes of his though never lost their passion and warmth, he was so compassionate and Naruto found that admirable.

"Iruka must have picked, Suzume then," Naruto deduced and Kakashi smiled under his mask, nodding his head in agreement.

Suzume Okita was a lot like Sakura, she was smart, but didn't realize her own skills. She was often insecure with herself, but she was slowly starting to realize she could kick the boys butts. Her purple eyes were wild as she tried to attack Ryota, who dodged her every punch it was obvious he was struggling though. Her light brown hair whipped around as she lunged forth to try and tackle Ryota to the ground, but he barreled out of the way. There was this wild and extreme side to Suzume, one that Naruto always found interesting.

"Yamato picked Tadashi," Kakashi said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Tadashi is so...uninvolved," Naruto explained as he looked to the shaggy redhead, who was blocking the kunai and shruiken that Ryota was throwing his way. Tadashi was using a katana, beautifully shimmering in the sunlight and clinking every time he blocked a flying weapon. "He's talented, but he doesn't seem to care to be apart of a team," Naruto said as he looked to Kakashi, who was watching the three young genin.

"There's a perfect way to fix that problem," Kakashi replied as he turned to look at Naruto, who furrowed his brows in confusion. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to the three sparring genin.

"Have at it," Naruto smiled, waving over to the kids.

"This is something your father did to me and my team when we first started," Kakashi explained as he started walking into the middle of the training ground, catching the three genin's attention. Naruto wondered what his father ever did to Kakashi and his teammates when they were only genin. "Naruto has informed me that you three are having teammate issues," Kakashi said and the three genin all looked to Naruto, who crossed his arms over his chest as he stood beside Kakashi.

"It's really Tadashi, he thinks he's better than everyone," Ryota grumbled as he glared over at the redhead, who snorted and shook his head. Naruto sighed softly and rubbed the back of his neck. Those two bickered the same way he and Sasuke did when they were twelve.

"It has nothing to do with me, Ryota. You are the one who is incompetent," Tadashi stated pointedly as he glared at Ryota, who clenched his fist and tried to lunge at him.

"Stop it, Ryota!" Suzume hissed, pushing the silver haired boy back. "We're supposed to be teammates!" she growled at the two of them.

"Quiet down, all of you," Naruto jumped in, knowing that if he didn't stop them now they could go on for the next hour. Ryota crossed his arms over his chest and turned his back to Tadashi, who only chortled and looked away as well. Suzume looked back and forth between the two and huffed, throwing her hands up in the air. "We've been over this since day one, you can't do everything alone. Working as a team is a very important part of being a shinobi. So until Kakashi-sensei and I feel that you have learned the meaning of the word, we have a very special task for you three."

Kakashi nodded in agreement as he pulled out a scroll from his flak jacket. He performed a few hand signs and the scroll turned into six silver bands. The three genin watched as Kakashi approached them and had them all. His single eye looked at each one as he slipped one of the bands onto each of their wrist.

"Bracelets?" Tadashi questioned when Kakashi slipped the last two bands onto his wrist.

"Not just bracelets," Kakashi corrected with a smirk as he stepped back and held his left hand in front of his face. His middle and pointer finger were up right while the rest of his fingers were curled in towards his gloved palm.

Naruto looked amused. When he looked back at his students, his blue eyes widened when he saw a red light coming in between the students wrist. It dawned on Naruto that Kakashi may have very well just linked the three genin together.

"What is this?" Ryota asked, when he saw the red light connecting him to his other two teammates.

"Ties that bind," Kakashi answered and the three genin looked a bit worried as to what he meant by that. "This is a special sealing jutsu that Naruto's father created. It'll keep you three bound until myself or Naruto choose to release it."

"Wait, you mean we're stuck together?" Suzume asked, sounding very worried.

"You have ten feet of space between each of you, max," Kakashi explained.

"Are you kidding?" Tadashi snapped as he looked at the bands around his wrist and then to his two teammates. "Naruto-sensei, you can't be serious!"

"I actually think this is a good idea," Naruto stated and the three kids mouths fell open. Their sensei laughed lightly and looked to Kakashi, who nodded and waved before vanishing into a puff of smoke. "So, who's up for another training session?" he asked with a smile, clapping his hands together.

"Training? With such little room? We'll never be able to take you on," Tadashi grumbled.

"Team work, Tadashi," Naruto paused and smiled at each one of his students, "that's the point of this." He gestured to the bands on their wrist and gestured for them to come at him.

* * *

Sakura had just finished setting the table when Naruto walked in. It was five o'clock giving him and her both an hour to get ready for the party. When Naruto walked into her view, she gasped and saw that he was covered in sweat and grime. Obviously his students really went after him today. He shrugged off his jacket and let out a breath, smiling at his girlfriend. She smiled back softly and walked over to him, looking him up and down with intrigue.

"What were you wrestling alligators?" she inquired, noticing his clothes were damp. She poked his side and he moved away from her touch.

"That's still tender," Naruto commented and the pinkette giggled softly. She pushed herself onto her toes and planted a quick, sweet kiss onto his lips. He smelled about is good as he looked, causing Sakura to scrunch up her nose. "I'm gonna go shower before everyone get's here." He pointed in the direction of the bathroom and kind of limped towards it.

"What happened?" Sakura asked, following after him.

"Well during our training," Naruto began as he carefully pulled off his shirt, "Yamato came to help my team out, needless to say they worked well under his orders." Sakura bit her lip seeing the bruising forming on Naruto's body. She walked over to him and waved her hands over the bruises, her hands glowing green. Naruto glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled warmly, thanking her.

"And here I thought you could protect me, little kids beat you up," Sakura teased and Naruto snorted as he started undoing his pants. Her soft hands gently rubbed over his back and the bruises faded away.

"Shower with me," Naruto said, turning around. The way his pants loosely hung from his narrow hips, Sakura almost couldn't resist. He put his hands around her and gently pulled her forward. "We could just forget the party and, you know, have sex all night long," he whispered huskily into her ear. She let her head fall back as his lips gently brushed on her earlobe and moved down to her neck.

"I did not do all that cooking for nothing, now clean up!" Sakura barked, pushing him back. "I'm going to burn something if I don't get back to cooking," she explained with a smile and slipped free from his hold.

"Come on it's our anniversary," Naruto whined, poking his head out of the bathroom as Sakura made her way down the hall. She stopped and turned around to look at him, he gave her the best puppy dog eyes he could muster.

"Actually tomorrow is our anniversary, you can wait," she said with a wink and disappeared around the corner into the kitchen, where delicious mouth watering smells were coming from. Shaking his head, Naruto sunk back into the bathroom to wash up.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry for making you wait! Please forgive me, but know you have a little insight to Kenji's plan and the next chapter is going to have some humor with a dinner party, thanks for all your support! Until next time everyone!

**P.S. **Be sure to check out my other stories **Light Me Up **and **Resonance**!


	27. Chapter 27

**The Dinner**

It was fun and lively that night in Sakura and Naruto's home. Their friends and family had all come for a wonderfully made home cooked meal. The room was bustling with chatter as people were standing in group clusters, chit-chatting the evening away. The sweet smell of freshly baked cookies were wafting through the house. Everyone had just finished eating and were socializing and drinking. Music was pouring from the stereo tucked away from the corner of the room, but it wasn't too loud, just enough to give the room a little more exciting ambience.

Sakura found herself in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes with Ino and Hinata. They were laughing and talking about their genin days. Ino was talking about how everyone used to be so in love with Sasuke, except for Hinata, and how ironic it was that she was dating him. Hinata, being the still shy girl that she was, blushed and focused heavily on the plates she was drying. Ino and Sakura both started giggling and teased the pearl-eyed girl, who was keeping herself completely occupied with drying the dishes.

"Stop picking on my girlfriend," Sasuke said as he walked in carrying three empty wine bottles. He put the bottles down on the counter beside the sink and slinked arm Hinata's waist. She smiled at him weakly and looked back to Sakura and Ino, who were cackling. "You don't have to help them, you know that right?" Sasuke asked Hinata, kissing her temple.

"I know, but I want to," Hinata explained, looking up at him and smiling. Sasuke nodded his head and looked back to Sakura and Ino, who were watching with stars in their eyes. It was only recently that Sasuke started being affectionate out in public. Sakura was thoroughly impressed by it and Ino loved anything romantic, so seeing Sasuke being lovey-dovey to Hinata was a real treat for them. "We're almost done anyways."

"We can go home now if you want," Sasuke said to her, staring into her eyes.

"No!" Sakura barked. "You can have sex later, we are going to drink until the sun comes up tonight." She winked at Ino, who clapped her hands together in excitement. It had been such a long time since all of them had been together.

Hinata didn't make eye contact with her friend after she said such a statement. Her boyfriend beside her blinked a few times and closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head in disbelief. Biting her lip, Hinata glanced at Sasuke and he smiled before slipping away to leave the girls to do the dishes.

Sasuke wandered back over to the living room where Shikamaru was talking to Kiba and Naruto. As he walked up, they all got really quiet and he wondered why they got so quiet all of the sudden. He asked what was wrong and Shikamaru looked at all of them, waving for them to head outside. Sasuke didn't question, he simply followed.

They all arrived outside on the porch and Kiba, shut the front door. Standing out in the chilly night air, Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and stood beside Shikamaru. The group had formed a circle on the porch and Shikamaru reached into his back pocket. Sasuke watched as he plucked out a velvet black box. The Uchiha's eyes widened in surprise, Shikamaru didn't need to say a word as he opened up the little box.

"Holy shit, you're gonna hitch yourself to Ino?" Kiba asked with a chuckle as he looked down at the diamond ring in the box. Shikamaru snorted and rolled his eyes as Kiba leaned closer to the ring. "Man, you are so whipped." The brunette made the sound affect and hand gesture, causing the other boys to laugh.

"Wait, are you going to ask her tonight?" Naruto asked with a raised brow. If Shikamaru asked tonight, it would be the talk of the party and village for the next week or so. "How long have you had it?" he added, gesturing to the box.

Shikamaru closed it and slipped it back into his pocket. "I've been carrying it around for the past week and a half, waiting for the perfect time to ask."

"And tonight is that time?" Kiba questioned with a smirk.

Shikamaru looked at all of his friend and stifled a laugh. He nodded his head and thought back on the past two and a half years he'd been dating Ino. Not that it stopped there, he also thought back to their genin days and academy days. He never imagined that Ino would be the girl he would be with. When he was a kid all he ever thought was marrying a decent woman, having two kids, and spending the rest of his life as a shinobi until retirement. A lot of things had been changed since he was younger, so many things. Some that he never even anticipated.

"Yeah with everyone here, Ino will love it. She loves being the center of attention after all," Shikamaru chuckled, knowing that Ino would be so excited about it all. She would have everyone partying all night to celebrate. "It just works out since it's your party Naruto, meaning it's a lot cheaper for me."

"Consider it your wedding gift," Naruto replied with a smirk.

"How are you going to ask?" Kiba inquired with a raised brow.

Shikamaru pursed his lips and thought about all the ways he could possibly ask her. He wanted it to be in front of everyone, Ino would love that. His eyes ventured to the watch on his wrist. It was 8:30 at night and everyone was about ready to play some drinking games. He knew he would have to do it before then, because proposing to the love of his life drunkenly would be plain tacky.

"Hey what are you guys doing out here? It's freezing," Sakura asked as she stepped out onto the porch, looking at the four young men standing in a circle. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked over to the group. They all got incredibly quiet when she approached and she looked at them in confusion. "What's up?" she smiled, standing next to Naruto and Kiba. Sakura moved closer to the blond, looking for some warmth in the chilly fall air.

"Nothing just catching up," Naruto covered for Shikamaru. He knew that Sakura would start squealing and possibly cry, which would give away the surprise. "Why don't we go back in make some hot chocolate or something," he suggested, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Yeah, well Lee wants to play strip poker," Sakura mentioned and everyone looked in through the window where Lee was holding a deck of cards and pestering Hinata, Ino, and Chouji.

"Maybe we play and all go against him," Kiba said with a chuckle as they all started venturing into the house.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Lee begged as he plopped down on the couch by Ino. He slinked his arm around her, which she responded to by grabbing it and twisting it. Lee yelped and ino started laughing. "Okay, okay!" Lee whined, trying to wiggle out of Ino's hold. For a dainty young woman, Ino had incredible vice grip. He just assumed it was from all the practice she had with people trying to escape during interrogations.

"I am not playing strip poker when our sensei's are here, Lee," Ino growled as she released her hold on him.

"We're all adults here," Kakashi commented with a light hearted laugh.

"Someone has had to much to drink," Sakura said, smirking over at her sensei.

"Hey if you've seen one woman naked it's all the same," Kakashi stated with a shrug. "It's the same for men."

"I beg to differ," Ino interjected. "I know I'm hotter than all you other people in here, no offense."

Sakura scoffed and placed her hands on her hips. She knew Ino was self confident and everything, but Sakura had been working out and eating healthier lately, she had a rocking body. Naruto still had his arm around her, pulling her into his chest and rested his chin on her shoulder. He kissed it gently and Sakura smiled at him before looking back at the group in her living room.

"Hey looks matter sure, but it's all about how you do it in the sack," Kiba said as he waved his finger towards Ino.

"Hey, if I wanted you I could have you," Ino shot back with a smirk.

"Oh yeah," Kiba challenged about to step forward, but found himself froze in place. "What the hell?" the Inuzuka growled, knowing that Shikamaru had used his shadows to tie him down.

"Stay away from my girlfriend," Shikamaru warned with a glare. He released Kiba from his hold and Ino began giggling. She walked over to Shikamaru and looped her arm through his, resting her head on his shoulder. Leaning over, Shikamaru kissed the top of her head and suddenly felt the heavy weight of the ring in his back pocket.

Just as Sakura was about to suggest something the sound of shattering glass came from the kitchen. Everyone looked over at the threshold when something rolled out and in the middle of everyone.

"Bomb!" Sasuke called out and everyone quickly ran out of the house.

Right when everyone had gotten out the bomb in the living room exploded and the window were blown out, shattering all around. Sakura and a few of the others had been knocked down, laying on their bellies on the gravel road. She groaned as she pushed herself up, feeling the debris falling off her light blue blouse and black pants. Panting heavily, Sakura looked back and gasped at the sight of her home.

"Sakura! Are you alright?" Naruto asked as he got to his feet and ran to her side. He knelt down beside her and helped her onto her feet. She assured him she was fine, but her eyes were locked on the house. Naruto dusted off her back and looked back at their house as well. "What the hell?" he breathed in frustration and anger.

"Hey there's someone running away," Hinata stated as she pointed towards the back of the house, her Byakugan activated. "There's two of them!" she added before running after them.

"Hinata wait!" Sasuke shouted, but she didn't listen. He wasn't sure why she took off so quick, it wasn't like her at all.

"Go with her," Kakashi said, walking over to Sasuke. "Hurry."

The Uchiha nodded his head and darted after Hinata, leaving everyone else behind. As he was going he saw Sakura fall to her knees, staring in horror at her and Naruto's destroyed home. He would catch the people who did this and make them pay for nearly killing all his friends and destroying their home.

"Sakura!" Shikamaru shouted, gaining the pinkette's attention. He was holding Ino in his arms with two large shards of glass jutting out of her ribs.

Running over to them, Sakura acted fast. She had to pull the shards out and begin healing her. Blood was soaking her clothes and staining Shikamaru's hands as he tried to kept her up, so the glass wouldn't pierce deeper. Biting her lip, Sakura moved carefully and slowly pulled the shards from Ino's flesh. The blonde whimpered as the shards were plucked from her ribs. Shikamaru held her tight, trying his best to comfort her as Sakura began to heal her wounds.

"Find Sasuke and Hinata," Kakashi commanded, pointing to Naruto and turned to face Kiba and Lee. "Go tell the Hokage that we have people who have infiltrated the village." Everyone dispersed and Kakashi looked over to Sakura, healing Ino.

"Do you think this was the same people who attacked the Hyuga clan?" Might Gai asked as he walked over, dusting the debris form his clothes.

"I have a very strong feeling that it was," Kakashi answered, looking to his bushy browed friend. "Let's go." He vanished and so did Gai, they were going to find out what exactly was going on.

Sakura realized that everyone had taken off, leaving Shikamaru, herself, Ino, and Chouji. The auburn haired shinobi walked over to them and watched as Sakura healed up Ino's injuries. He knelt down beside Shikamaru, who was obviously very worried as he gently stroked Ino's arm with his thumb. Placing a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, Chouji assured him she would be okay. It was Sakura who was healing her after all and she was one of the best medics in the Land of Fire next to Lady Tsunade.

"We have to get her to the hospital, I think there is another piece that broke off inside," Sakura said as she was examining the wound that was higher up on her ribs. "We have to move her gently, we could cause the shard to break even more or worst, go further in. If that happens it could get to her lung." Sakura looked up at Shikamaru, who nodded once and carefully lifted Ino up.

"Chouji go ahead and tell them we're coming," Shikamaru said to his best friend.

"You got it," he stated as he took off towards the hospital while Shikamaru and Sakura followed behind at a much slower pace.

"She'll be okay," Sakura assured him with a warm smile, seeing the worry and anger on Shikamaru's face. When he looked at her, she nodded her head and he smiled back. "She's tough." Sakura looked to Ino, who was passed out from the pain and blood loss.

"I was going to ask her to marry me tonight," Shikamaru whispered and Sakura looked at him with wide eyes.

"She's going to say yes," Sakura replied with a bright smile. "She loves you."

"I know," Shikamaru replied, glancing to Ino's face. "It was supposed to be her dream proposal."

"Yeah, she would definitely want it to be a spectacle," Sakura giggled softly as they walked down the street at a quick, but gentle pace, in hopes of not jostling Ino around too much. "In front of all her friends, she would have been ecstatic."

"Wait until the wedding, you ain't seen nothing yet," Shikamaru remarked with a chuckle. "She's going to make it the event of the year."

"Would you expect anything else?" the pinkette asked with a smile.

"Of course not," Shikamaru replied with a shake of his head. He stopped walking suddenly and Sakura stopped to look back at him. Something was following them, but he couldn't detect exactly where they were. He closed his eyes, trying to find the chakra signature.

Nothing, as quickly as it came, it was gone.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked him with a tilt of her head.

"I thought...never mind, I'm just imagining things," he said, shaking his head an carrying on with Ino's blood soaking into his shirt. "Shit, she's bleeding again. We have to hurry!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the wait folks! Updates for this story are going to be on a once a week basis. Working full time and going to school part time is leaving me with hardly any time to work on my stories. But I'm going to try my best to get updates out as quickly as possible. Thanks for reading and see you next time!


	28. Chapter 28

**The Pursuit**

Hinata stopped in the middle of the festival grounds. Just across the way, her eyes fell onto two figures, standing in the shadows. The clouds overhead slowly cleared and allowed silver moonlight to shine through, giving her a better view. She was fairly certain who one person was, but the other person she didn't recognize at all. Swallowing, Hinata hoped she was wrong as the moonlight fell onto the two. Unfortunately for her, it was just as she assumed.

"Hanabi," Hinata breathed, shaking her head in disbelief.

The younger Hyuga stood still and looked completely emotionless. Her hair had fallen into her face and her Byakugan was activated. She looked like she was ready to kill with the kunai in her hand. Hanabi crouched as if she were about to strike, making Hinata worry. It was obvious by Hanabi's expression and mannerisms that she wasn't herself.

In one quick movement, Hanabi flung the kunai at Hinata. She didn't move an inch though, she couldn't believe that Hanabi had tried to kill all her friends. As the blade was just about to pierce through the middle of her chest, it was deflected. Hinata snapped out of her trance and took a step back seeing a katana glinting in the moonlight. Her eyes slowly moved to the other end of the blade.

"Sasuke," Hinata said with a sigh.

"Are you alright?" he inquired as he twirled his blade around, sheathing it in the scabbard on his back. His eyes were that familiar crimson red and he looked ready to kill. "You took off in a hurry because it was Hanabi."

"She's under their control," Hinata pointed out, her eyes drifting over to Hanabi. "Where's the other one?" the Hyuga heiress asked as her eyes moved across the festival grounds.

"We have bigger problems," Sasuke said simply and Hinata looked at him in confusion. "The enemy couldn't have gotten a hold of Hanabi again, and Ino wouldn't have missed that."

"What are you saying?" Hinata asked.

"I'm saying Ino might have been taken over by them as well," Sasuke clarified, looking back to Hanabi. She was about to strike again and Sasuke sighed. He was going to hurt her, he just needed to knock her out. They would have to lock her up until they found the people doing this.

"Is that Hanabi?" Naruto questioned as he ran up to Hinata and Sasuke. "She was the one who threw the bomb?" the blond asked, completely shocked. He stared at Hanabi for a few moments before turning back to Hinata and Sasuke.

"There was someone else with her, they took off," Sasuke explained, turning his attention to Naruto. "I'll handle Hanabi, try to find the other person before they get away."

"Sasuke-"

"I won't hurt her," Sasuke interrupted Hinata, who pressed her lips together and nodded. She knew that Sasuke was being honest and if anyone could get to Hanabi without falling pray to the palm rotation, it would be Sasuke. "Hurry, you both are wasting time."

"He's right, come on," Naruto said before darting off. Hinata looked at Sasuke one last time before going with the blond. She trusted Sasuke, she knew he would do everything he could to not harm her younger sister.

"Alright half-pint, it's you and me," Sasuke said and the wind blew through the festival grounds. Hanabi's eyes narrowed at Sasuke, but he didn't react at all. "I don't want to hurt you, so try and fight it. I know you are in there."

She went in for the attack.

* * *

"She lost a lot of blood, but she should be fine by the morning," Sakura explained to Shikamaru, who was sitting beside Ino's bed. His eyes had been on her since the moment she was brought back in from the surgery. "Shikamaru, go home and get some rest." Sakura placed her hand on his shoulder, giving in a gentle squeeze.

The shadow controller let out a sigh, looking up to the pinkette behind him. He nodded his head slowly and got up from the chair. Shikamaru leaned down over Ino and placed a kiss on her forehead, gently stroking the side of her face. When he stood up straight, he gave the sleeping girl a soft smile and turned on his heels.

"Did they find the ones who did this?" Shikamaru asked as he and Sakura quietly left the room. He shut the door and looked at Sakura, who stood in the middle of the hallway.

"Yes, Hanabi did this. She wasn't alone though, there was someone else with her," Sakura paused for a moment, looking down at the floor, "Naruto, Kakashi, Hinata, and Gai are in pursuit. It may lead to nothing though, Tsunade just had ANBU dispatched to find him."

"Sakura," Shikamaru said her name firmly and when their eyes met, it all began to click in Shikamaru's head. He knew what she was going to say next, it was written all over her face. His eyes lifted up when he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Coming their way was Tsunade and three ANBU members and Morino Ibiki. "They think she's involved."

"We aren't sure if she is or not, but Ino gave Hanabi the all clear," Ibiki stated simply and Shikamaru shook his head. They both knew Ino, hell Tsunade and Sakura knew Ino, she would never betray the village like that. "Until then, Ino's being taken into custody."

"You know that Ino would never betray the village," Shikamaru commented with a glare.

"I also know that Ino is the best mind walker out of all the Five Great Shinobi Nations," Ibiki pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest. "She wouldn't have missed this." The scarred man nodded to the three ANBU and they went into the room.

It took every drop of will power that Shikamaru had to not strangle them with his shadows. He was tense, but he remained as calm as possible. If he stepped out of line they'd probably lock him up too. Out of the corner of his eye, Shikamaru saw the ANBU members pushing Ino's hospital bed from the room. He turned fully when they started taking her down the hallway.

"She could be under the enemies control, Shikamaru," Tsunade intervened, knowing that he didn't like what was happening at all. She didn't like it much herself either, but they had to keep the enemy at bay. "We'll take care of her." The Hokage smiled weakly and looked at Sakura, who seemed sad herself. Letting out a sigh, Tsunade turned on her heels and walked down the hallway.

"If the enemy was able to take control of Ino while in Hanabi's head, we're not dealing with just an ordinary enemy," Shikamaru said, meeting Ibiki's eyes. "You know just as well as I do, Ino is good at what she does."

"We're taking it all into consideration, Shikamaru. I know you don't like this, but it's for the safety of the village," Ibiki explained softly. "Ino's one of my best, I don't want to believe the worst." With those words, Ibiki left both Shikamaru and Sakura alone in the hall.

On the first floor of the hospital, the ANBU members were taking Ino out the front door. Tsunade had stopped in the lobby and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe this was happening, she didn't understand what the enemy was trying to do. They slaughtered several Hyuga clan members, took control of Hanabi, and now Ino. She let out a breath and opened up her eyes, they had to find the enemy before they got control of more shinobi. Tsunade ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head.

"Who could be doing this?" Tsunade asked as Ibiki walked up beside her. She looked at him and he shrugged his shoulders. "We have to stop them before they get someone else."

"I wonder who they would target next," Ibiki mused.

"There's no telling," Tsunade replied, looking up at Ibiki. She was about to add onto her thought when she noticed a smoke screen outside. Her eyes widened and she darted outside with Ibiki trailing right behind her. "What the hell is this?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Laying on the ground where all three ANBU members. Tsunade gasped and ran over to them, kneeling by their sides. They were still breathing just knocked out. The smoke subsided a few seconds later, revealing Ino's hospital bed.

Ibiki ran over to the bed and cursed under his breath.

Ino was gone.

* * *

Kenji stood in the shadows of the forest. He was furious, two of his men went against his orders. Shaking his head, Kenji pushed off of the tree that he was close to. He started walking down the unmarked trail and tried to focus on the chakra signatures around him. There was no doubt that Kakashi Hatake was close by, and he was very close to Rai Okoto, his subordinate, who went against his orders. The other who had betrayed him was named Jin Okoto, Rai's younger brother.

Kenji was about to take his leave, but he sensed another chakra signature. He closed his eyes and tried to search for it. When he locked onto the person, his eyes came open. "Naruto Uzumaki, I knew you'd be trouble," Kenji muttered with a smirk.

"Kenji," Rai gasped when he stumbled upon him.

"You went against my orders," Kenji said simply, completely unbothered by the two chakra signatures in pursuit of Rai. "Why are you messing around like this?"

"I was-"

"Wasn't thinking," Kenji finished with a glare, causing Rai to turn away in shame. "Stop messing around and get them off our trail, if you don't, I will kill you personally." With those words, Kenji walked away and disappeared into the shadows.

Sighing in frustration, Rai jumped up into the trees and headed towards the south. He would take them out one by one, he knew he couldn't handle them all at once. Rai hoped that Jin was having better luck trying to snag the Yamanaka girl. If he had managed to get the girl, Kenji would probably be more lenient with them. First though, he had to worry about his own problems: Naruto Uzumaki and Kakashi Hatake.

Without Jin, Rai would have a hard time taking them down. They were a team, they were at their best together. He couldn't think about that though, he just had to focus on how he would get Naruto and Kakashi down.

"Rasengan!"

Rai cursed and jumped back just barely managing to dodge the attack. His eyes narrowed as Naruto Uzumaki stood on the tree branch across from him. It dawned on him not to mind Naruto, but to worry about where Kakashi was.

"Attacking my home and friends! Did you really think I'd let you get away from us?" Naruto growled, clenching his fist tightly at his sides. "What the hell are you planning?" Naruto snapped at him.

"Chidori!" Kakashi shouted as he came up behind Rai and sent his arm straight through his chest.

Rai's eyes widened, but when they slowly closed he burst into a million red flower petals. He would use genjutsu on them and slip away, it was his only chance. As the red petals swirled around them, making it almost impossible to see, Rai slowly backed into the shadows. He brought his index and middle finger up to his face and soon the flower petal shimmered. They became like shards of glass, slicing away at Naruto and Kakashi.

Letting out a breath of relief, Rai turned on his heels and moved through the trees. He sensed two other powerful chakras closing in fast. One was similar to Hanabi's while the other he wasn't too familiar with.

"Palm Rotation!" a female voice echoed.

"Hinata," Rai muttered under his breath before taking his leave, he wouldn't be able to handle all four of them at once. He did what Kenji wanted, they were off his trail. All he could hope was that Hanabi would be able to get away. If she didn't they would be back at square one for their plan.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Shikamaru tried as he was standing before the Hokage's desk. "Ino is missing, Hanabi is under the enemies control, and we have no idea who our enemy is?" the genius shinobi inquired with a raised brow.

"Yes, but we have Hanabi in custody and we are trying to find a way to break the enemies hold on her," Tsunade explained, lacing his fingers together and leaned forward on the desk. "In the meantime we're deploying a team of ANBU."

"Because that worked so well last time," Shikamaru sneered.

"Well, you are the mastermind of strategy around here, what's your idea?" Tsunade questioned, waiting patiently for his answer. Just as he was about to open his mouth a knock came to her door. "Enter!"

"Sorry to interrupt, but we found out what's got Hanabi under their control and we have a problem," Sasuke said as he entered the room and shut the door.

"Do you have any good news?" Tsunade asked hopefully.

"No," Sasuke replied simply.

"What did you find out?" Shikamaru asked as the Uchiha stood beside him with his hands behind his back.

"The seal that has Hanabi under the enemies control is also a link, to everyone that the enemy has under their control."

"I am missing how that is a bad thing, can't we just undo the seal and free everyone?" Tsunade asked.

"If only it were that simple," Sasuke paused for a moment, "if the seal is undone in just one person, the others die. Think of it as a fail safe, if their plan started going south they would pull the plug on one and stop completely."

"Do we have any idea how many people are linked?" Shikamaru asked.

"No, unfortunately we don't."

"You're going to need a good team to bring these people down," Shikamaru said, turning his attention to the Hokage. She nodded her head in agreement and clicked her tongue. "We also need to know everyone they have linked."

"Shikamaru, I putting you in charge of this mission. I want you ready to go by morning," Tsunade said firmly.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Long wait I know, but I have literally only been writing a paragraph a day, I'm sorry everyone. I'll try to update as often as I can.


End file.
